BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — The Indiana University water polo team’s senior night festivities on Friday, April 21, will be a unique experience for Bronwyn Smith.
She’s seen these senior ceremonies before. Given the nature of scheduling as a collegiate water polo team in the Midwest, Indiana’s “senior game” usually happens in the middle of the season because it’s the final home game of the year.
That won’t be the case for Smith. First year head coach Ryan Castle added the 7:00 p.m. ET exhibition against McKendree University to a traditional bye week, coming between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship. The Hoosiers added the game, according to Castle, to honor his senior classes with a true standalone game at the end of the regular season.
And although Smith’s class is small—it’s just her this year, in fact—the Hoosiers believe that their sole senior is deserving of the distinction.
“In terms of her as a captain, we would be lost without her,” Castle reflected on the senior’s season. “Bronwyn has that personality where she’s very friendly and welcoming, and people naturally come to her for advice. She’s also mature enough to reveal the areas where the team needs help to us as coaches. When you have a transition like this as a senior, it’s really easy to check out for your final year; she’s worked with us as if we’ve known her for the last 10 years.”
Smith joined Jessica Gaudreault and Kelly Matthews as Indiana’s first set of captains under Castle. The addition of player captains had a positive effect on the team’s chemistry this season. Smith played a vital role in that change, especially with those who made the jump from high school to Indiana University.
“It’s been interesting only having a single senior because she really looks out for everyone,” said Kendall Doten, one of seven players in Indiana’s freshman class. “Since Bronwyn was the only senior, she took us in once we got here. It’s been really cool having her around this year, acting like the mom or the grandmother of the team.”
Smith’s teammates lovingly refer to her as the “grandma” of IU water polo. She goes out of her way to make bonding moments with everyone, like giving the freshmen a break from campus to go get ice cream, or cracking open the cookbook for her teammates and roommates.
“I’ll miss everything, especially the team,” Smith said. “I love how we’re a family. Going somewhere new is going to be completely different, especially after becoming so close-knit here.”
Heading into the CWPA Championship weekend, Smith has tallied 13 goals, 22 assists, 29 steals, and 10 field blocks in 75 career appearances.
But the experience goes beyond statistics and winning percentage for Smith. The goal of Smith’s time at Indiana University, she said, was to play Division-I water polo, earn a degree from the Kelley School of Business, and form a family with her teammates.
Smith achieved all that and more in her time at Indiana. She has one more goal in mind, however, for the exhibition finale on Friday at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center: have fun with it.
“I’m trying to convince Ryan to let me play goalkeeper in the game,” Smith added.
Castle feels blessed that the Hoosiers ended up with a senior like Smith in his first season. She’s an IU super-fan, a team player in the truest sense, and brings a uniquely important flair and a strong work ethic to the daily grind.
In other words, she’s a Hoosier.
“When she’s on the pool deck, there’s always a joke going on and she knows how to keep it light,” Castle said. “She’s one of the first people to be accountable for her mistakes and she doesn’t make excuses. That’s the type of attitude we want permeating throughout our program, and Bronwyn has brought it from day one.”
Release courtesy Indiana University Athletics Communications
