Water Polo (Boys)

A new era for Deerfield boys’ water polo began in 2007 when the team won the school’s first New England Water Polo Championship. A year later, the nucleus of teammates who started playing together as freshmen led the team to the 2008 title, tapping the same values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and spirit that have always characterized our squads, regardless of final records. Teams in 2010 and 2011 also built on those same qualities to win New England titles.

Intrigued by the challenge of mastering a physically and mentally challenging sport, a majority of Deerfield players come to the game as beginners and take great pride in learning new skills, teaching younger players, and vying for a spot in the New England Final Four. The regular season blends single games and tri-meets, where team depth makes a difference in the back-to-back contests. To develop that necessary depth, we rely on bench players, and this assures that our youngest players, whether on the varsity or junior varsity level, compete in every game.

Deerfield players have competed on NCAA Division I, Division III, and club teams on both coasts. In recent years, the team has enjoyed summer training sessions with Felix Mercado, the head coach at Brown University.

Mark Scandling coaches boys’ water polo. For more information, please contact him at mscandling@deerfield.edu.

Varsity

Junior Varsity

Mark Scandling (Head Coach)

A former journalist, Mark came to Deerfield in 1987 after starting his teaching career at The Charlotte Country Day School. He has taught English at each grade level, directed plays, and worked at the KIPP STEP summer sessions. He also taught for two summers in New York for Prep for Prep.  Mark has led the girls’ polo team since 1997, their inaugural season. The girls captured the New England Prep School Championship just one year later. In 2003, 2010, and 2012, they finished second. Several of Mark's players have competed at the college level, including a four-time All American on Princeton's women's team. He also coaches the boys' team, which won the 2007 2008, 2010 and 2011 New England titles. Three former players are currently competing in Division I polo programs.  As a wrestling coach for twenty-five years, Mark, a four-year Division I wrestler at Davidson College, has enjoyed working with New England champions and beginners.

Send email to Mark Scandling (mscandling@deerfield.edu)