Men’s water polo celebrates historic postseason run at banner unveiling ceremony

VALLEJO, Calif. – Before everyone shifts their focus and energy towards final exams, papers and Cal Maritime's upcoming finals week and Commencement, men's water polo student-athletes and coaches convened at PEAC Pool to celebrate a remarkable accomplishment in the program's history.

Last fall, the team took water polo fans and the campus community on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that originally started at the same facility that now features a championship banner that highlights what took place throughout a 23-day timespan that nobody will forget.



When CSUM student-athletes headed to PEAC Pool on October 19, their goals were the same as the eight other Sierra Pacific Division teams that traveled to Vallejo that weekend: win the league's postseason tournament, earn the conference's automatic bid and battle for a national championship.

This vision was a realistic goal for the Keelhaulers since they possessed a home-pool advantage and entered this two-day tournament as its No. 2 seed behind only a San Francisco squad that ended the regular season atop the Sierra Pacific Division's standings.

By easily defeating UC Santa Cruz 14-8 in its playoff opener, Cal Maritime became one of four teams to nab a spot on winner's side of the tournament's bracket and the luxury of becoming a fan for the rest of the afternoon since semifinal matches were slated for the following day.

Playing in the first match of Championship Sunday is a tricky situation, especially when the chance to compete for the conference's postseason title is on the line since coaches, no matter the lengths they take to create the perfect conditions for their teams, are at the mercy of elements completely out of their control.

Did their players enjoy a full night's sleep, or did they endure a long night trying to quiet their minds because of the opportunity that awaits everyone the next day? Was the environment that surrounded the hotel — or in Cal Maritime's situation, their on-campus living quarters (or off-campus residence) — provide the optimal situation for a quiet and peaceful night? When players arrive to the pool, are they fully awake and prepared for a physical early-morning match or are they still waking up and struggling to mentally lock-in for a grueling day?

Cal Maritime faced those questions, and more, specific to its situation as the event's host. Are players too excited to compete in front of their friends, family members, loved ones and campus community? Will individuals experience an adrenaline dump during their semifinal matchup against Chico State by arriving to the pool too wired, or on edge to a greater degree throughout pregame warm-ups compared to a regular-season match?

All those questions were quickly answered once Sunday's slate began since the Keelhaulers and Wildcats treated fans to a highly-competitive and entertaining match from the opening sprint.

Entering crunch time tied at six, Kevin Kraatz broke that deadlock by scoring the go-ahead goal with 33 second remaining in the match — a shot that fired up a partisan crowd decked in blue and gold. However, in their final possession of the game, the Wildcats pressed and scored a desperation goal with six seconds left on the clock to force OT. 

That play could have damaged Cal Maritime's spirit and momentum, and understandably so since it was one play away from advancing to the tournament's championship match. But this experienced roster maintained its poise and returned to work, scoring the only goal by either team during the first three-minute session of extra play to hold an 8-7 lead before switching sides of the pool and commencing the second and final overtime period.

What started with a win in the opening sprint continued for the rest of the game with the Keelhaulers dominating the final three minutes of this meeting. Highlighted by two goals from Warren Cooper, and another from K. Kraatz — all scored within 70 seconds — Cal Maritime clawed its way into the Sierra Pacific Division's championship match.

When it mattered the most, CSUM's defense came up clutch and stifled the Wildcats' offense — one that started the game strong by scoring three of the game's first goals but only one in the six combined minutes of overtime.

As the day continued, the results of subsequent matchups created a situation familiar to all Cal Maritime fans.



In past seasons. the Sierra Pacific Division Championship provided the stage for two outstanding playoff performances by Cal Maritime when it advanced to the title match in 2021 and 2022, finishing second to Cal each season in heartbreaking fashion.

In 2021, Cal Maritime erased an early 4-1 hole and limited a potent Cal offense to only eight goals to trail by one entering the final minute of regulation. Instead of drawing even and forcing additional action, a Golden Bears save on one end of the pool turned into a goal on the other end that secured an 8-6 result for the boys from Berkeley.

One year later, it was déjà vu for both teams as they battled their way through the field to set up a championship rematch. Unfortunately for Cal Maritime, 2022's clash ended up the same as the previous year with Cal claiming another postseason championship and national tournament appearance.

And for the third time in the last four years, an Interstate 80 showdown between schools separated by only 29 miles would battle one another in the Sierra Pacific Division's marquee match of the year.



As was the case with previous matchups, the first half was a back-and-forth affair with each team showcasing why it deserved a place in the league's postseason championship game.

Cal Maritime's big breakthrough took place in the third period when, with the score at 6-6 when Riley Kraatz, K. Kraatz and Joaquin Auger scored unanswered goals. In a match where no team led by more than a goal leading up to that portion of the afternoon, the Keelhaulers held an undeniable advantage entering the final period.

When action resumed, the Kraatz brothers each found the back of the cage early in the quarter to give their team an 11-7 lead. Even though Cal responded by scoring two of the game's final three goals, the Keelhaulers finally defeated their rival, winning the Sierra Pacific Division Tournament's title and punching their ticket to the National Collegiate Club Championship in Gainesville, Florida in the process.

For CSUM, third time was the charm because it, and not Cal, would represent the conference on a national stage.

With a couple weeks to prepare for its upcoming tournament, Cal Maritime discovered just a few days before its trip to the University of Florida it enter the weekend as the event's third seed, out of the 16-team field, and open its second appearance in program history at this national championship tournament against Army.

The Keelhaulers started their weekend on a positive note when the Kraatz brothers combined for 10 goals, earning Co-Players of the Game honors in the process, in a 16-9 victory that pushed CSUM into the winners' bracket in its only match of Championship's inaugural day.

Day two of action in Florida started with a quarterfinal matchup versus Washington University in St. Louis, another game Cal Maritime dominated from the opening sprint until the final horn. By notching another win, this time by a 19-12 score, the Keelhaulers accomplished two important goals. Not only did they advance to the Final Four to face Boston University for a coveted spot in the championship game, that result guaranteed their best all-time finish in this tournament, regardless of what happened over the final two days.

When Cal Maritime advanced to the national championships in 2019, an opening-round victory versus Oregon State took place before narrow losses took place against UC San Diego, Michigan State and Penn State — a promising start that ultimately ended with an eighth-place finish.

Five years later, men's water polo rose to the challenge against BU, turned one clutch play after another on defense and saw K. Kraatz and Cooper record six and five goals, respectively, to earn an attention-grabbing victory and a spot in the national title game against defending two-time champion UC San Diego.

That result also secured the highest finish by a Sierra Pacific Division team since it was founded prior to the start of the 2011 season.

On the final day of the tournament, Cooper (four), K. Kraatz (three), R. Kraatz (two) and Matthew Turecek combined efforts to score Cal Maritime's 10 goals, and goalkeeper Jacob Idris collected nine saves in a contest UC San Diego won, 17-9, to capture its third national championship in as many seasons.

Even though the Tritons led the entire game, and scored three unanswered goals on two occasions, Cal Maritime remained within striking distance the entire morning but just ran out of time against a team that became the second in the history of this tournament to win three championships in a row.

The Keelhaulers may not have accomplished its goal entering that title game against UCSD, but the quality and consistency of its play throughout the team's three-week postseason run carved their place on water polo's national landscape as one of the top programs in the nation, even though CSUM's student enrollment is minuscule compared to its rival institutions.

Before the team returned to Northern California, Collegiate Water Polo Association officials rewarded the Keelhaulers by bestowing Coach of the Tournament honor and placing multiple individuals on its All-Tournament Team. When unveiled at the end-of-tournament awards ceremony, Cooper and R. Kraatz earned First Team recognition with Idris and Kraatz earning two of nine spots on the Second Team.

"It was great to see how the team came together from the start of the season until the final game of the year. Everyone was fully engaged at practices and knew what the goal was for the season: win conference. We accomplished that and had a great showing at the national championship, which was an awesome experience for everyone," said head coach Matt De Trane.

Team gatherings, like the one that took place recently at PEAC Pool, provided the perfect opportunity for everyone to reconnect, share a few laughs, receive championship plaques and reminisce about one of the most successful and historic campaigns enjoyed by any program at Cal Maritime.

Before the semester concluded, this banner unveiling allowed a group of students the opportunity to push aside a weekly grind comprised of athletic- and academic-related projects, tasks, and responsibilities to celebrate their unprecedented success.

"It was nice to take a step back from papers, exams and upcoming finals to gather as a group again and reflect on what everyone accomplished in the fall. Hanging the championship banner at PEAC Pool brought everything back full circle and created one final memory of the season."

Added De Trane, "I want to acknowledge and thank the captains, Kevin and Riley Kraatz, for how they rallied the troops, ensure practices were well attended and always executed at a high level. Those practices, and the level of intensity that took place throughout those workouts all season long, played a key role in this team's success."