Taking aim: women’s Water Polo Club

The women’s Water Polo Club, an intercollegiate team within UW–Madison’s Division of Recreational Sports, practices in the pool at the South East Recreational Facility (SERF). Pictured here, co-captain Heather DeFelice, a graduate student, aims to throw the ball for a goal. The team is preparing to compete in a regional collegiate water polo tournament to be hosted Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5, at the SERF pool. Thirteen game brackets are scheduled for 10:30 a.m.-7:50 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, and 9:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 5.

The Club Sports Program is a student-run, student-led organization in which coaches or instructors — many of whom are faculty or staff — volunteer their time to work with students. There are 32 sorts in the program, and last year there were more than 1,300 participants, says Matt Horst, assistant program director for intramural and club sports. UW–Madison has had nationally competitive teams in baseball, cycling, women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s ultimate Frisbee, men’s and women’s volleyball, waterski and wakeboard, and synchronized figure skating. “The clubs have had great success despite the fact that they cover most of their operational expenses from external sources,” says Horst.