Four quarters of constant swimming, kicking, scratching and splashing; sophomore Mark Fullen dedicated almost every afternoon of the past year to water polo.

And he left the pool defeated after every one.

But August 30 was different; he climbed out smiling. Out of breath and covered in bruises all he said was, “We did it.” before his teammates rushed him in celebration. 

He made sure to savor that moment, marking school history.

The water polo team secured its first-ever win in the game against Aldine Davis 21-7. Senior George Macaluso and Sophomore Mark Fullen led scoring with 6 goals each.

“Getting the first water polo win after practicing over the summer was so rewarding,” Fullen said. “When that whistle blew, it was just pure excitement.  Not even gonna lie, I just started emoting with my teammates.”

Last year was the team’s first competing officially in a full UIL season and it showed. Their record was 0-7. Fullen joined that year.

He didn’t want to initially though, the sport was nothing he was used too. The only reason he agreed to attend tryouts was because he knew a few people joining the team; that night he went home with a new found passion.

“If it wasn’t for having my friends on the team that year, I probably wouldn’t have kept playing,” Fullen said. “It felt like I was basically drowning the whole season; I was not a good swimmer. It ended up being worth it though.”

Dedication

The team commutes half an hour, four days a week to the Woodforest Bank Natatorium in Shenandoah for practice. The travel time cuts into the practice, leaving the team about an hour less than other schools. To Fullen, dedication makes up for it.

“When we’re there we just gotta work harder,” Fullen said. “I don’t really care that the other schools get more practice than us, all we can do is just focus on ourselves.”

Fullen’s grit led him to success; about halfway through the season he started racking up assists. His best friend sophomore Maximiliano Vega, who introduced him to the sport, took it as a challenge.

“(When) he started scoring more, I guess that inspired me,” Vega said. “I can’t let him be better than me, Now we have a little competition going on to see who’s better by senior year.”

Head water polo coach Christopher Day helped recruit Fullen in his 8th grade year. On first impression in the water, Day immediately saw a talent in Fullen that stood out from the rest; later in the year he was proven right.

 “Over the course of the season, he truly embraced his role on the team,” Day said. “He grew not only as an athlete but also as a leader.  His performance in the pool and the way he supports his teammates makes it clear how important he is to our program. We’re extremely fortunate to have him.”

Making history

The first game of the season was the match up against Aldine, and Fullen went into it completely expecting a loss. By the end of the first quarter, the team proved him wrong.

“It was like 8-0, then I knew that we had a clear chance at dominating,” Fullen said. “It was probably some of the most fun that I’ve had playing. We completely shut them out and after that, everyone felt so inspired for the next game.”

The Aldine game was eye opening. Seeing his team succeed and gaining the respect he desired only pushed Fullen to improve.

“Getting that taste of a win for the first time changed everything,” Fullen said. “Before then, I had never won a sports game with the school. Don’t get me wrong, I thought polo was all right before, but after this, it felt like we actually put up a fight this year.”

In 2022 the water polo team barely had enough members for a complete roster, this year it more than doubled that. Fullen hopes the growth will encourage people to try something new and join.

“I know there are probably a lot of people like me who also thought that water polo would be weird, but honestly it’s pretty cool.” Fullen said. “Once you actually get into it, there is nothing like it; mentally and physically. If we are going to win more, then we need the players to do it.”