By Joey Gelman (Photos & Article)
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Whitney Young has always been synonymous with sports excellence in sports like basketball, volleyball, softball, badminton and baseball, but it is water polo that has been one of its most dominant sports in the last five years.
The Dolphins, who had captured three top-four finishes in the IHSA State Tournament, added another top finish to their trophy case, taking home 4th place in state.
Coming off its City Championship earlier this spring, and what many considered a surprise upset over Lyons in the Super-Sectional, Whitney Young advanced to the state semifinals, where it took on Brother Rice, falling in a close 16-13 game.
One of the top players in the state and in the program, Yahir Jimenez, continued his dominant performance in the loss, totaling four goals, and continued his stellar senior season in the third-place game, totaling three more goals in a hard-fought 10-8 loss to York.
“Of course I wanted at least a second or first, we knew we had it in us, but once we look at the big picture, we weren’t even supposed to be here or make it out of our sectional,” said Jimenez. “Look how far we made it with this young team.”
While the loss stung at first, the “big message” that Jimenez spoke about echoed across the team, as pride started to replace the disappointment, as coaches and players began to celebrate what was another unforgettable season in water polo at Whitney Young.
“It feels good to compete against some of the best teams in the state,” head coach Angelo Espinoza said. “Whitney Young is the only CPS team that has ever come home with hardware (in water polo).”
“Every year we’ve gone to state when we never were supposed to, we’re the underdogs,” senior Thomas Yu said. “No one expected us to be here, so to have this medal means a lot to me. It all came together at the end of the season, all those 4 am wake-ups, conditioning, it all clicked together at state.“
While Jimenez and Yu led the way as senior leaders, the youth movement on this team cannot be understated when it comes to understanding this season’s impressive and surprising success.
The team started three freshmen and included 16 underclassmen on their roster. The seniors reflected on their journey from freshman year to senior year, in which they never started as first-year players, which is why the young team’s success was incredibly impressive.
“Our young team definitely has a lot of potential,” said Yu. “I really hope that this team continues to be who they are. They have an amazing coaching staff, great leaders coming in, I really hope they use their speed to their advantage, keep their IQ up and keep watching film and keep being who they are.”
Jimenez relished his role as a senior leader and was excited to lead the next generation of great water polo at Young.
“My freshman year, I had a senior named Damien Garcia, who mentored me a little bit. I kinda wanted to be just like him, and having freshmen look up to me, asking questions, it makes me have flashbacks. I want to make them as good as I am or better,” said Jimenez. “They’re all looking up to me, I have to be on my A-game, showing them what it takes to be a great player.”
The seniors and Espinoza have set a standard for water polo both at the CPS and state levels, and know what success like this means to continue to grow the sport, especially within the city.
“It’s big, just because water polo is such a small sport, we’re hoping to get more teams developed (across the district). So to be regarded as the best team in CPS means a lot,“ said Espinoza.
“It means a lot, water polo isn’t that big of a sport at Whitney Young, but we’re one of the most accomplished. It means a lot to bring home more state trophies for CPS,” said Jimenez.
As the season came to a close, the Dolphins are excited for what lies ahead, with a young core of talent, aimed at capturing more city titles, and eventually the elusive state championship trophy that will most likely come sooner rather than later.