London, ON - The 2023 Western Mustangs Water Polo season was marked by notable comebacks, moments of camaraderie, and showcased the team's dedication, resilience, and high spirits.

Western Mustangs Head Coach Dave Tennant who was previously Assistant Coach for the Western Mustangs Water Polo team for 5 years, is in his first year as Head Coach with the team. However, he stressed that coaching at the varsity level is a team effort, and that he is grateful for that. "We have a strong group of Coaches, and I don't think of them as Assistant Coaches. Each Coach on the Western Water Polo team has an area of specialization: Scotty is the goalie coach, Charlie and Johnny are the conditioning coaches, and Bill runs the defense and recruiting."  



Coach Tennant's individual background with Water Polo started when he tried it while attending high school in London, Ontario. But he got into the sport more seriously when he attended Carleton University in the 1990s. Tennant stressed how playing varsity sport is about so much more than just winning games. "As a coach and player, the most interesting and motivating aspect is the team bond. It's been over 25 years since I played, but I still keep in touch with players and coaches I played with at Carleton. Our goal as coaches is to try to create an environment where those bonds can be made."

And those bonds were evident in the Mustangs Water Polo team this year. 

Benny Matthews is a fourth-year player on the team and a student in the Faculty of Science. He started playing Water Polo when he was just eight years old. and is currently a general player for the Mustangs, offering multiple supports and talents to the team. "It's my fourth year playing, I play a general utility position. It's hard to explain positions in water polo, I switch constantly."  

Matthews talked about how close this year's team was and what that meant to him. "I'm most proud of how close the team is on a friends and family level. If anyone ever needs something, there is always someone to go to. We're always there for each other. It's the first team I have ever played on where there has never been an argument. Everyone is best friends."

Aiden Thiessen, the team's Captain, and Faculty of Social Science student, shared that he first started playing when I was in grade seven. "I was a competitive swimmer for about seven or eight years and when my club was shutting down, my family friends told me to check [water polo] out. I played in a scrimmage game and I instantly fell in love with it."  

Thiessen plays a crucial role in organizing plays and contributing to defensive strategies with the Western Mustangs Water Polo team. "I've been playing with Western for the last three years, and because I'm Captain, I play the top position as kind of a Quarterback. I organize the play, and on defense - shutting down the players on the opposing team."

For Thiessen, team bonding both in and out of the pool is important and is something that he is also proud of from the team this year. He also believes that leading by example and putting in the work are key leadership qualities for creating a successful team environment. "I would say accountability and discipline [are crucial pieces of creating a successful team]. If one or two people miss a practice once or twice it's not that big of a deal, but if it starts to happen often then the whole team starts to feel it. Also, to make sure that everyone is getting along, and everyone likes each other; making sure there are no issues inside or outside the pool."

Thiessen also talked about the team's dedication this year and how proud he is of their progress, "We had pre-season training camp and we had training camp in Montreal over Fall Reading Week, so we have definitely put in a lot of time and work."

Coach Tennant also noted this year's Mustangs team's incredible endurance and athleticism as key to being able to execute some come-from-behind victories this season. "Our fitness level was quite high, we're a physical team, we wear teams down, and that's probably where we have our greatest success - is frankly being able to come in from behind, and being able to come back in tight matches. We have a record of coming back and getting one goal wins. The team never gives up and they work hard to come back when they need to and are able to win." 

Despite facing disappointment in a late season game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees that affected their standings heading into the final tournament of the season, Coach Tennant was positive about the team's overall results. And although the Mustangs team did not medal this season, they placed fifth overall at the 2023 OUA Provincial Championship, which is a great achievement. Coach Tennant expressed pride in the student athletes' hard work. "I am proud of the guys, how hard they work, and frankly how well they get along. They're a fun group of guys to work with."

Acknowledging some of the teams challenges this season, Matthews highlighted the importance of supporting teammates and offering positive feedback as essential leadership qualities. Matthews also emphasizes that despite finishing in fifth place this season, the team played much better than their standings reflected. "Our placing this year unfortunately didn't go as planned; we lost a couple of games by literally one goal. But I do know that as a team we deserved better and are better. And like I said, I would say I'm most proud of how close we are, like a family. Even with the coaches."

As Matthews reflected on his last year with the team, he is graduating at the end of the 2023-24 school year, he hoped that the Western Mustangs Water Polo team continue to do great things and he expressed his appreciation for the experience of being a Mustang.  "I had a really great time here. A big thanks to all my teammates [and the] coaches and staff."

Thiessen echoed his teammates feelings. Despite not securing a medal this year, Thiessen is very proud of the team's progress and is excited to see the team's achievements in the future.

As the 2023 Mustangs Water Polo season comes to an end, it is obvious this was a season marked by hard work, resilience and lasting friendships. The year may not have unfolded exactly as the team had planned, but there were bonds made that will leave a lasting impact on the student athletes of the Western Mustangs Western Polo Team.