Big changes are coming for the Boys’ Water Polo team. Longtime head coach Kevin Auger retired following last season, and former assistant coach Alex Negronida has stepped in to take his place.
“I know the majority of our athletes already, and the transition has been really smooth, just due to that fact, and, Kevin has been really supportive,” said Negronida.
As someone who was already part of the program, Negronida doesn’t plan to change much about how it is run. However, he still sees room for improvement.
“There are going to be things that I’m going to try to improve on, but at the end of the day, it’s really just about making sure that I’m making our student-athletes the best water polo players that they can be,” explained Negronida.
The coaching transition isn’t the only major change. Last season’s team, which reached the sectional semifinals, was largely made up of seniors. With that core now gone, the Kits will have to rebuild the roster.
“This year is going to be a bit more challenging because we lost so many of those seniors, and our senior class this year is good. It’s just very, very small numbers-wise,” mentioned Negronida.
Despite the roster turnover, the team still has talent. Senior Rijad Dizderevic has been the starting goalkeeper since his freshman year, and fellow senior Jonas Nissan will also be a key contributor for the Wildkits.
“Jonas Nissan, he’s a beast. He’s so fast, it’s like he doesn’t have any lungs,” stated Dizderevic.
The seniors won’t be the only contributors. Most of the team will consist of juniors and sophomores, and the younger players have been putting in the work.
“We have a club through WSO, which is our swim club … we have a lot of younger guys in the off-season working over the summer and in the fall,” explained Negronida.
With so many big changes within the program, the Wildkits are expected to face some growing pains this season. However, the goal remains to win.
“I think my main goal is just for us to, you know, try to develop some of the younger talent that we have while still being successful,” said Negronida.
Evanston will open the season on March 18th at home against Deerfield.
