Nineteen members of the Harvard-Westlake boys’ water polo squad, playing as Los Angeles Premier, took second place in the U.S. National Junior Olympics under-18 category, facing four of their former teammates in the championship game.
They were also the youngest team to finish in the top 24 of the tournament in Orange County from July 25-28.
“I think being a younger team was more beneficial than detrimental,” Alec Mendelsohn ’17 said. “It made us more hungry for success.”
The squad lost to the Santa Barbara Polo Pals in the championship game, a team including their former teammates Johnny Hooper ’15, Anthony Ridgley ’15, Raphael Raede ’15 and Charlie Oman ’15.
“In a way, I think the fact that they were our former teammates made playing our best water polo a must,” Mendelsohn said. “They obviously knew us well, and it ended up being a big advantage for them.”
