N.E. Water Polo Tourney Set For Today at Blodgett

It's a funny thing about Californians and water polo. In the national rankings, there are two divisions: the West--California--is best, while the Eastern schools--the rest of the country--annually provide the opposition for the Californians to clobber at the national championships.

Still, there are places in the East where water polo is taken very seriously. This weekend Blodgett pool is one of them.

The Powers That Be in New England water polo will battle it out in the first round of the regional championships. All of the entries--Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, MIT and UMass--are ranked in New England's top 10.

The hosts expect to field one of the tourney's stronger teams. This week's poll has Harvard at number two in New England despite a disappointing 2-2 start. This weekend is when the aquamen, in their third varsity season and coming off a 22-6-1981 campaign, intend to get down to business.

Coach Steve Pike has finished his early season lineup juggling and settled on a starting group that includes three 1981 All-New Englanders: both co-captains, Dave Fasi and Rich Guerra, and junior Steve Munatones, an all-East honorable mention last year.

Brian Grabon has been strong in goal of late, and several subs or rotating starters in the early games have also stared-offense minded Courtney Roberts, and a trio of freshmen, Mike Rogers, David Chao and Robby Strauss.

Third-ranked MIT is most comparable in strength to the Crimson, while Columbia, Yale and UMass, all in the running for the Eastern schools four berths at the NCAA's, can also challenge.

The Big Boys

And then there is Brown.

Since 1975 the Bruins have dominated New England competition even more completely than the California schools have lorded over their national rivals, garnering 62 consecutive wins against New England opponents, seven straight New England titles, and last year's Eastern championship. Brown's only loss this year came at the hands of Loyola of Chicago, currently tops in the East, by an 8-7 score. The Bruins have outscored its other opponents by a combined 104-30 margin.

Look for big scorers Ian McDonald, Peter Poli and David Todhunter to give rival goalies nightmares. And the word on their own netminder--well, they say they're still looking for the right words to praise freshman Lars Enstrom.

Harvard opens the action this morning with an 11:30 match vs. UMass, the Harvard Brown game is set for 6:15 tonight. The round-robin affair ends tomorrow afternoon.