After playing an entire season without a home pool, the boys’ water polo team was rewarded with one of the best  facilities in the country for the upcoming season, according to Head Coach Brian Flacks ’06.

“It [isn’t] even comparable,” Flacks said. “We are talking about going from a puddle to one of the nicest pools in the country.”

Due to the construction, the Wolverines played all away games and were forced to practice off campus at San Fernando.

“Because of the sacrifices we made last year, the new pool is going to be so much better,” Matthew Moses ’13 said. “We do get a lot more home games this year, and I believe since we do have one of the nicest stadiums in the United States, we are going to have a lot more fun with it.”

The Copses Family Aquatics Center was officially opened on August 27, but the team has been practicing in the new pool for the past two weeks.

“I think the pool is extra motivation because playing in front of your home crowd, you are defending your own pool,” Andrew Miller ’13 said.

For the upcoming season, the Wolverines are ranked eighth in Division I, behind their rival Loyola Cubs who are in the third spot.

“We are behind some teams [in the rankings] that we are playing this year,” Miller said. “I think that our biggest motivation this year is to prove that we should be up there.”

Younger role players on this year’s team include Morio Saito ’15, Johnny Hooper ’15 and Ben Hallock ’14.

Hallock competed for the US Men’s Junior National Team in the Pan American Water Polo Tournament this summer.

“We have a lot to prove this year and I think it will be great,” Flacks said. “I don’t want to use this as a building year or a rebuilding year, we have high expectations for our guys and we have a talented group of kids.”