Fifty years since its inception into the pantheon of high school athletics in the state of Texas, water polo will become a University Interscholastic League-sanctioned sport in 2022-23.
Flower Mound High School won its second consecutive state championship in the sport in 2021-22, and if the Lady Jags can make it a three-peat this coming season, they will become the first-ever UIL water polo state champions
“I think it’s great,” Flower Mound swim coach Tony Arbogast said. “The athletes and parents have wanted this for a long time. There were a number of people who have been working on this for years, and it is exciting to see the growth of the sport.”
Water polo’s journey to becoming a UIL sport has been years in the making.
It was played at the club high school level since 1972 and at Flower Mound High School since 2009.
Flower Mound, Marcus and Guyer all have programs, and Arbogast said that the good thing is that swimming and water polo go hand and hand.
“Almost all of the athletes compete in both sports,” Arbogast said. “You have to have the endurance that swimming provides to make it up and down the pool, beat your defender on the counter-attack or be able to quickly get back on defense.
“During polo season, we still swim to keep their endurance up, but definitely not as many yards as they put in during swim season. Having that base from swim season allows the athletes to focus more on the technical aspects of water polo during polo season.”
Marcus coach Brandon Dion echoed Arbogast’s sentiments.
“I think it’s great for the sport,” Dion said. “It just legitimizes what we have been working on for years.”
One factor that will change is that water polo will become a fall sport next season instead of a spring sport.
“It’s a fun way to kick off the year,” Dion said.
Flower Mound defeated Southlake Carroll by a score of 5-4 in the girls state championship match this past season, and goalkeeper Natalie Stearns said it was an experience she will never forget.
“This state championship was awesome—not only did we get to travel to Houston and play challenging teams, we won for the second year in a row,” Stearns said. “I have played with some of the girls on my team since before high school in club, and it was really amazing getting to finish out my high school career with a big win and great memories.”
Stearns, who was selected to the first-team all-state squad for Flower Mound, just graduated, but added that she is happy for her teammates for this coming season.
“I’m super excited for it to become UIL next year,” Stearns said. “It’s going to be different, but I definitely think that this will be a great change that will lead to a ton of growth in the sport in Texas. I also expect that with more players, more universities in the state will add water polo programs.”
Stearns herself will attend Claremont McKenna College in Southern California and play division III water polo next season.
The Flower Mound senior started playing water polo at the age of 10, but said it was not a natural fit.
“My family and about three other families that we were neighbors with were really close,” Stearns said. “Eventually, a few of the kids in the families got into water polo, and they brought me to practice one time. Since I did not enjoy swimming, it was a surprise for everyone when I ended up loving the sport. I’ve now been competing for about seven years.”
Arbogast said that Stearns’ contributions to the FMHS water polo program cannot be understated.
“Natalie has been great,” Arbogast said. “She has been a key piece for the team all four years. Not only is she the goalie, but also an important part of our counter-attack on offense and helps setup the defense. Her play in the championship game was simply amazing. She stepped up and made some big saves.
“We have seen that kind of play throughout her career here. She was voted one of our captains and has demonstrated great leadership all year. She will be missed when she goes off to play college polo.”
In the late 2000’s, water polo had less than 40 teams statewide, and will have nearly 200 teams this coming season.
For Flower Mound High School, a legacy of greatness in the sport of water polo is something players and coaches are keen to carry on.
“With water polo starting in August, it will be here in no time,” Arbogast said. “Our objectives for next season will be to fill the holes that our graduating seniors leave behind. It won’t be easy, but I think the athletes that are here are ready and willing to fill their shoes. We are going to offer some programs over the summer so that we are ready to go day one of the season to continue to maintain our past successes.”
