Holloway
leads The Beach with unity
By Jack Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
Already
one-third through the Long Beach State men’s
water polo season, the team has seen a series
of highs and lows, but senior team captain
Aaron Holloway knows what it takes to keep
the 49ers going.
Holloway has done more than serve as the
team captain — he makes sure that the players,
including the five red shirting freshman,
understand the fundamentals of the game.
“I try to coach each player through the
practices, find out what’s going on with
them, and explain to them what they should
be doing,” Holloway said.
Holloway’s experience of water polo goes
back to when he was playing for El Segundo
High.
As a junior in high school, Holloway was
named first team all-league and second team
All-CIF. He then moved up to become MVP
during his senior year and first team All-CIF.
In 2000, he became a member of the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic team,
finishing fourth on the team with 29 goals.
Holloway was also named 49er Male Scholar
Athlete of the Year.
Last year, Holloway finished second on LBSU,
scoring 32 goals as well as being a three-year
letter winner and two-year starter.
In addition, the American Water Polo Coaches
Association named Holloway an Honorable
Mention All-America.
Over the summer, Holloway was selected to
be a part of the U.S. National Team, and
still practices with them at Los Alamitos.
Head coach Rick Azevedo said that Holloway
is determined in each game, and knows how
to keep the unity within the team.
“He is one of those players that really
holds the team together. He plays hard and
is a fantastic leader,” Azevedo said.
Junior David Del Grande said that the team
has a high regard for Holloway.
“He is a good leader and everyone enjoys
being around them, making sure the team
gets focused,” Del Grande said.
Holloway has noticed how the team has been
competing in the games and said he knows
that they are getting better as the season
goes on.
“We’re improving every year by getting more
exposure to the games,” Holloway said.
Outside the pool, one of Holloway’s hobbies
is surfing. He has been surfing ever since
he was 8 years old in his hometown of El
Segundo. In addition, he has toured with
the National Scholastic Surfing Association.
Holloway remains dedicated in school as
a fifth-year civil engineering major. After
graduation, Holloway said he hopes to attend
graduate school.
One of the main aspects that Holloway said
he believes makes the team successful is
the unity that all the players share.
“The team has a lot of good team chemistry
that works and also working on our skills,”
Holloway said.
For the remainder of the season, Holloway
said he wants the team to be prepared for
the big games, including the Northern California
tournament coming up on Saturday and Sunday.
“We want to be mentally ready for the tournaments.
There was a lot of time lost with the other
games but we’re ready for the one’s coming
up,” Holloway said.
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