The men’s water polo team has been on fire lately. The No. 12 Bears (10-3) are currently riding a four-game winning streak, and at the core of the defense is goalkeeper Luke Weiser ’17. In his last two games, the Los Alamitos, Calif. native recorded 25 saves and added an assist and a steal against Harvard (6-6).
As a result of his efforts, the Collegiate Water Polo Association named Weiser the Northern Division Defensive Player of the Week for the seventh straight week dating back to last season. This marks the first time in CWPA history that a player has claimed Player, Rookie or Defensive Player of the Week honors for this many consecutive weeks.
For his performances in the pool and accolades out of it, Weiser has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.
Herald: How long have you played water polo, and what got you interested in it?
Weiser: I’ve played since I was eight. I got interested in it because I’m from Southern California, and it’s actually pretty popular in California. Most high schools in California have water polo teams, and swimming is popular too. My brother was a swimmer and so that got me into water-type things, and I just transitioned from swimming to water polo.
Have you always been a goalie?
Yeah, basically. Pretty early on, I started as a goalie, as I was never really fast. And in really young age groups, they put the slow kid in the goal.
What’s the hardest part of playing in net?
I think the hardest part is that a lot of it is pretty mental. If your team isn’t doing well, it’s hard to be the one to get the team back on the same page. Your performance is in big part due to how they’re doing. There can be a lot of easy momentum shifts, at least for me. Mentally, if I feel like my team is not doing as well, then sometimes it takes a toll on my game and me.
What does it mean to you to be named Defensive Player of the Week so many times in a row?
It’s really cool. The reason why I think it’s particularly cool is because I am a goalie, and so everything I do does depend on how my team does. So if I’m getting Defensive Player of the Week, that means my team’s defense has been good for the last seven weeks. The times that I look like I’m doing well are when I’m blocking shots, which are the shots we want the other team to take. This means my defense is good at forcing the lowest percentage shot, which is awesome.
What are your thoughts on the rest of the season?
I have very high hopes for the season. I think that we have a really good team. We lost three really good players and gained four really good new ones — not that I weigh one more than the other. I am definitely excited to get through the season and see how it goes.
If you could play any other sport, what would it be?
I would play basketball. I’m just not a runner.
What’s your favorite place to eat at on campus?
Andrews. The tacos are definitely the best thing I’ve had there.
— This interview has been edited for clarity and length.