'We all worked together': Sycamore girls water polo finishes 2nd in the state
Fighting back tears of joy, Sycamore senior Anne Wessinger celebrated with her teammates as the Sycamore girls water polo team took home second place in the 2023 Ohio Water Polo Association State Championship on Sunday.
Wessinger led the Aviators' offense all season and continued into the postseason. Wessinger scored two goals in Sunday's 12-6 loss to the Golden Bears.
"This season was all about our seniors pushing each other. Our team is 11 seniors and it was our seniors and our juniors all pushing each other. We all worked together, but we've known each other for so long and gotten so close that it was just about all of us working together." Wessinger said on Sunday.
Under first-year head coach Isabel Engle, the Aviators have flown to new heights this season and the program is in a strong position to keep climbing. Even with 11 players graduating, key pieces of this elite team will remain.
More: Which Cincinnati teams are ranked in the state ahead of water polo postseason?
Goalie Isabelle Shade is a junior and was the backbone of the team all season long. Shade had 16 blocks in Sunday's game and while she couldn't stop smiling about her team's second-place finish, the junior had an important message for Upper Arlington.
"I can't wait for next year. We're coming for (Upper Arlington). We're coming for you, UA. We got it."
The team certainly might have "it" going forward but for now, Shade is just happy to celebrate a big finish with a special group of girls.
"It was a stressful game. But it was really fun... I just felt really confident and I'm just so glad I was able to do this with my seniors."
Mason girls take home 4th
After losing to Cincinnati rival Sycamore on Saturday, the Comets went up against No. 4 Worthington Kilbourne on Sunday and came away with fourth place.
After starting the season with barely enough girls to field a team, the Comets worked hard, recruited and kept pushing to end up on the podium this year.
"It was tough at first, like getting those girls to stick around and put in the work, but they're just so hardworking and I'm so proud of the girls for sticking around, putting in the work and just killing it all season," said junior Miriam NDiaye.
"We didn't expect to win state completely, but just making it to the Final Four is a huge, huge deal for us. And it just shows all the growth we've had this season."
NDiaye had two goals and two steals in the 12-8 loss to Worthington Kilbourne.
Comet boys fall to 4th after stand-out regular season
The Mason boys team came into the state championship tournament as the No. 2 seed and lost the third-place game to St. Charles 16-12 to finish fourth in the tournament.
The team was led offensively this season by senior captain Carter Dickerson, who had nine shots, seven goals and two steals in the Comets' final game.
Under first-year head coach Adam Livingston, who isn't a water polo player but is in the Mason Sports Hall of Fame for his time as a football player for the school, the Mason program has had a complete turnaround.
While they will be losing a fair number of seniors, including starting goalie Ryan Roth and forward Andrei Khudiakov, Livingston is in it for the long haul and plans for higher goals.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2023 Ohio water polo state championship: Sycamore girls take 2nd
