In Jan. 2025, UVM Club Water Polo announced its first-ever women’s team, which would compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s women’s North Atlantic division.
Varsity and club collegiate teams in the CWPA are broken into smaller divisions, including the North Atlantic division, which is made up of several other schools across New England.
Prior to the creation of the UVM women’s squad, the team only competed in the men’s league, which allows co-ed teams. The men’s co-ed squad competes in the fall, while the women’s squad competes in the spring.
When Club Water Polo began, the squad was mostly male athletes but has brought in more female players in recent seasons, leading to the formation of the women’s squad, said sophomore Women’s Team Chair Sedona Jelinek.
Jelinek joined Club Water Polo in her first semester after playing for over eight years. As Chair, she runs practices and coaches games.
Part of the challenge at UVM, Jelinek said, is that water polo is less popular in the Northeast than on the West Coast, so many players join the team without any prior experience.
“We had so many signups,” she said. “We didn’t expect that many people would want to come because we don’t expect there to be a lot of people that know how to play.”
The rules are pretty simple, which makes it easy for beginners to pick up, TJ Mattein, senior and Team President, said.
“You play six-on-six with a goalie, you’re trying to get the ball into the other net. You’re only allowed to use one hand, and you can’t stand or use the floor,” Mattein said.
Mattein has played water polo for 10 years, including the four he spent with the team at UVM.
The team plays eight games across two regular-season tournaments each season, followed by a championship tournament. If the team wins, they will attend nationals, which are held in Pennsylvania from Apr. 17 to Apr. 19.
Travel around New England for the tournaments helps create a tight-knit group, Mattein said.
“We do a lot of events outside of practice as well with each other,” Mattein said. “We always go to Canada for a team trip once a year, so we’re pretty involved outside of the pool as well.”
Both the men’s and women’s squads practice together, no matter the season, he said.
“Even just playing too is a lot of fun. It’s pretty laid back, but it’s great. It’s exactly the sort of club you’d expect at UVM,” Mattein said.
In the fall, the co-ed team went undefeated, taking home the championship for the fourth year in a row, while the women’s team came in second place in their inaugural season last spring.
Collectively, the teams took home the UVM Student Government Association’s Most Successful Club Sport award in 2025.
Through both regular season tournaments, the women’s team won seven of eight games, only losing to Yale University.
The North Atlantic Division Championship Tournament was held the weekend of Apr. 4, during which the Catamounts faced off against other teams in their division in four games.
The Catamounts won their games against Bowdoin College and Colby College, but lost to Yale University in the championship game to finish second place for the second year in a row.
