Senior captain and 1/2 side on the boys varsity water polo team, Jack Mason (12), won the first male Athlete of the Month award for the school year due to his dedication to his sport and high performance.
“I felt pretty good [after winning the award] because I’ve had some teammates in the past when I was a sophomore, freshman, junior, that got it, and I always thought it was kind of cool seeing them up there on the bulletin board,” Mason said.
Brandon Carman, head coach of the boys varsity water polo team, and Mason’s coach for the past three seasons, said the award was “well deserved.”
“He’s very naturally athletic but he works incredibly hard,” Carman said. “His work ethic is what drives him and he has that killer instinct that separates him from other athletes.”
Mason’s teammate since elementary school, Julian Breeze (10), agrees with this depiction of Mason.
“He’s really determined,” Breeze said. “He’s one of the most go-getter people I’ve ever seen and if he makes a mistake he’ll correct it. He’s just a really great person to be around.”
Mason’s passion for water polo started early when he first started in his club.
“Since a young age, I’ve always … loved the water,” Mason
said. “I surfed a lot. My dad played [water polo] in college and then my brother started playing and … it looked like a lot of fun … so I decided to try out and I loved it.”
Mason improved greatly in his sport ever since he started out six years ago, as evidenced by his rise in leadership within the team.
“When I first met him, he was still very talented as a sophomore but he took more of a backseat because we had a lot of seniors on the team his sophomore year,” Carman said. “Now, last year and this year, he’s been a leader on the team. He’s been our captain for two years so he’s definitely grown a lot as an athlete and as a leader.”
Mason is now reaping the benefits of his hard work as the first winner of Athlete of the Month award on top of being selected for the Junior Olympics and verbally committed to attend the Naval Academy in the fall of 2025. Last season, the team ended 16-12 overall.
“He’s our first Division I recruit from water polo since 2017 so it’s a really big deal for him and the program,” Carman said. “He sets a really good example for everyone with his work ethic, and he’s been wanting to go to the Naval Academy ever since I’ve known him. [Now that] he’s accomplished that goal it’s really cool to see.”
