Captains Ben and Brody Test the Waters for Water Polo
The Whittier College Men’s Water Polo team is looking to take this season one step at a time. This year, the team is made up of a majority of first-year students who are new to the collegiate sports scene. Team captains Ben Ramans and Brody Haney are ready to take the newcomers under their wings and show them the ropes.
Ramans is the only fourth-year on the team this season and is committed to leaving behind a legacy. He has seen what a disciplined team is capable of and is ready to show his teammates the way to success. “I came in on a year when the guys [who taught me to play collegiate water polo] won an actual championship by two goals,” he says with pride. “They took on a national championship team from division one to a two-point game.” Ramans believes his final season will not be an immediate comeback to the team’s former glory, but it will be a year for progression and improvement.
Ramans and Haney both have had long, athletic careers in water polo and carry a tremendous love for the sport. In fact, Ramans even coaches his former clubs back home in Los Altos from time to time, and for Haney, playing water polo is his happy place. He says that when he’s in the water, he’s “not thinking about anything else. [I have a] clear brain. It feels good.”
But, it’s clear that above their love for the sport is their love for the team. Both captains want to be guides and role models for the team’s newest members. “I see myself in them for sure,” says Ramans, adding, “I’m just trying to help them on a path to not make the same mistakes I made my freshman year and my sophomore year.”
Although only a year above the rest of the team, Haney desires to be the best possible leader for them. “I want them to just know that they have someone who’s always there for them and will always have their back.”
Despite both Ramans and Haney’s optimistic attitudes and Poet pride for their sport and the current season, the Whittier College Water Polo team has been hit hard in recent years. Ramans has had two different coaches since he was recruited. He speaks out about his uncertainty surrounding the team’s future, especially after the college’s cancellation of the Poet Football, Men’s Lacrosse, and Golf programs in 2022. “I didn’t think I was gonna have this season going into this year,” Ramans goes on to say, “[my goal] right now honestly is to just have as much fun as I can.” Haney agrees, stating, “This team was put together by my coach in a month just to save the program. So, this year is gonna be tough,” Ramans ends soberly.
Although the water polo captains are two grades apart, both are on the same page about the ways they lead their team to victory. Both admitting that they give their teammates a lot of tough love, Ramans describes himself as “blunt and forward,” while Haney describes himself as “mean” in the pool. Ramans gave a reason for this technique by saying, “I don’t really have a ton of upperclassmen who kind of know our standards. I have to take on a big role of being the only upperclassman to show people the expectations we have for this team.”
Ramans intends to leave the team with high expectations for Whittier Water Polo and does not want ever to witness the program crumble, expressing that, “I’m trying to set an example of what Whittier is. I’m trying to create a new identity for the school and carry on the traditions to show them we were a good team.”
Haney is committed to continuing the legacy of the team, stating, “Me and the coach, we’re working right now with a lot of different guys from areas where water polo is a lot more popular.” He says suddenly with an excited look, “I think that we’ll be a problem next year for SCIAC for sure.”
For now, the focus of these two captains is on the formation of close and strong relationships with all members of the water polo team and bringing awareness to the sport and the 2023 Fall sports season. Together, Ramans and Haney hope that people will come out to watch and support their future games and cheer them on.
“We really appreciate your support in any way possible. It’s an interesting and fun watch,” says Haney. When asked about their match against Occidental College on Wednesday, Sept. 20, Ramans says, “I think we will be ready. We’re just gonna have to put our game face on. Show people that Whittier is back.”
There’s no doubt that this year’s Whittier College Water Polo team will be nothing but determined, thanks to their strong-willed captains. This school spirit and love for the game of water polo seems to be something that has been ingrained within both Ramans and Haney for their whole lives. Ramans mentions that he picked it up from his mom, who “worked to put herself through private school” and later “[worked] a full-time job while trying to take care of my two brothers.” Haney took a big breath before giving thanks to his dad for “always [being] there for my mom and me no matter what.”
Haney states on a final note, with regards to his teammates, that “patience is key.” But after spending this time with the Whittier College Water Polo 2023 team captains, there is no doubt that persistence is the name of the game.
Photo Courtesy of Tony Leon / ACTIONWESTPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
