For junior Evan Soma, water polo wasn’t a plan. In the seventh grade Soma hopped onto the water polo bandwagon when all of his friends decided to participate in the sport.

For junior Evan Somma, water polo wasn’t a plan. In the seventh grade Somma hopped onto the water polo bandwagon when all of his friends decided to participate in the sport.

“I started playing water polo in seventh grade kind of because all of my friends were doing it,” Somma said.

Although he didn’t expect the sport to draw him in as much as it did, his leadership and focus during practice became evident to his coach.

“The big thing that stands out with Evan is, he has really good work ethic and he works really, really hard in practice,” Wallace said.

He believes that Somma is not content with just being “good” but is constantly seeking to become better.

“He is constantly looking to get better, constantly asking questions, constantly trying to improve his skills and that really, really stands out,” Wallace said.

Junior and teammate Kevin Waechter feels similarly about Somma.

“He works very well with the team [and] also helps others get better with just giving them some one on one time with himself,” Waechter said.

Waechter also feels that Somma has a good work ethic that has a positive effect on the other players.

“He just gives his all in practice and in games. He just brings a smile to everyone he sees and just makes everyone happy during practice,” Waechter said.

What kept Somma in water polo were the skills required to be successful in the sport.

“I really like the aspect of how it’s physical as well as mental,” Somma said.

Water polo has also taught Somma how to improve as a person.

“I guess it taught me just to like stay calm in stressful situations that normally I wouldn’t stay calm in,” Somma said.

Overall, Wallace feels that Somma is a “well-rounded” person and is grateful to have him on his team. He sees a good future for Somma if he continues in water polo.

“He’s just always got a positive attitude and it rubs off on other players, and I think that’s kind of what makes him a leader. We’re really, really fortunate to have him as a part of the boys’ water polo team,” Wallace said.