Walnut, Calif. -- As the 2025 Mt. SAC Women's Water Polo team prepares to dive into a brand-new season, Head Coach Chris Jackson is realistic about the challenges ahead—but also genuinely looking forward to the potential of his young squad.
"We are young," Jackson said. "The players that graduated or who aren't coming back for whatever reason, were crucial—it was a big loss. But this is a hardworking group, so we're excited."
This season brings vibrant energy not only from the incoming freshmen, who are expected to step immediately into key roles, but also from a new face on the pool deck. "We have a new assistant coach, Shane Unger, who comes in with a lot of experience," Jackson shared. "I'm fortunate to be working with him— he's motivated and really eager to be here."
The Mounties return five players from last season, and while a few are stepping into larger roles than before, Jackson sees it as an opportunity for growth. "A couple of them were in backup or supporting roles last year, so this season will be a chance for them to step up and lead," he said. "Some freshmen will have to step right into that starting lineup—it'll be a big challenge, but it seems like they're up for it."
The team's strengths may lie less in veteran presence and more in attitude and mindset. "It seems like a good, hardworking group who is here to learn—they are very coachable," Jackson noted. "We'll see if we can develop some tenacity in them. I think they're doing a good job of coming together."
Much of the early focus has been on building team identity and cohesion. "We've been pretty specific in talking about our culture and expectations," said Jackson. "We want to make sure they're all on the same page and accountable to each other. But it seems like they're taking it seriously, so that's a plus for us."
That shared commitment could be key as the Mounties look to make a mark in the South Coast Conference. "They believe in each other, and we need them to do that," Jackson said. "Looking at some of our incoming freshmen, there is some talent in there that we're excited about. It will be fun to watch them gain trust in themselves and play at a level that I know they can reach."
As for goals, they remain ambitious—but grounded. "We want to give Long Beach a challenge," Jackson said. "We'd like to be in the mix and be in that championship game at the end of the conference. We'd like to get back into regionals. We finished outside of the top 13 last year, so we didn't get a playoff game. That's always going to be a goal."
Still, the deeper aim is about performance and growth. "We want to play our best water polo. The score will work itself out," Jackson emphasized. "I don't want to leave anything on the bench or in the pool—we just want to look back and confidently say that's the best game we could have played."
With familiar rivals in the mix, there's little room for complacency. "We've competed against Long Beach in that championship game for a long time," he said. "But Cerritos would love to be in that game and El Camino came on very strong last year. Both of those teams really want to beat us—so we need to be prepared for that."
Training began shortly after the July 4th holiday, with the early sessions focused on building fitness and figuring out where players fit best. "We had a couple of injuries—one sophomore came in with a broken hand—so we're still getting back into shape and trying to find all the pieces," said Jackson. "I still need to find my center defender, and we have too many goalies—so we're seeing if one of them can play in the field. But when Shane and I look at the team, we both think, wow, we've really got something here."
Jackson is especially excited to watch the younger players develop. "Just seeing some of our freshmen really find their place and some confidence," he said. "And seeing if we can be a scrappy and smart team that can put some things together. I'm looking forward to surprising ourselves."
Leadership will be crucial, and returner Keira Bozek is already showing the way. "Keira, our returning goalie, has really stepped into a leadership role," Jackson said. "We're looking to her for that. Some other sophomores are still figuring things out, but we'll give them all some leadership opportunities and see who steps up."
With energy building and a new season just ahead, Jackson has a simple message: "Come out and watch the games at our beautiful pool!"
The team will get their first taste of competition on Saturday, August 23, when they scrimmage against Golden West at 9:30 AM. Shortly after, the Mounties will head north to Kentfield, California, to compete in the College of the Marin Invite on Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30.
We're excited to follow the team throughout the season and cheer them on every step of the way. Go Mounties!
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.