"Every time the DP writes an article about us, the article is about, 'Did you know that Penn has a water polo team?' " men's head coach Elizabeth Greig said.
Whether you know the team exists or not, you probably don't know that they're good -- very good.
The club team is 16-3 this year, and two weeks ago they won the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) championships for the first time since 1997.
This week they head to the Men's Club Water Polo National Championships in California.
"This year is definitely a result of planetary alignment," Greig said.
"We all got together this year and decided we all really wanted to go to nationals," senior captain Chris Schurman said. "This year was all commitment."
Another reason why this year's Quakers' squad is so good is due to the addition of graduate student Nick Kittredge.
Kittredge, currently in the Wharton Graduate Program, got his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkley, graduating in 1995. In his senior year at Cal, he was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Water Polo Player of the Year.
"Water polo at the club level is a crap shoot," Greig said. "You can't recruit so who you get is luck. We were mighty lucky to get Nick."
In fact, many of the players on the team come from some of the best high school -- and sometimes college programs -- in the country.
"Over half of our team has played in high school or beyond," Schurman said.
Greig, for example, played in high school for four years before joining the women's team at Penn in 1997.
She's a Philadelphia native who started playing in 9th grade with an all-boys team.
"I decided to play it for lack of athleticism," Greig said. "I grew up as a swimmer and people who have grown up swimming seem to be inept at most all other sports.
"I was definitely always the last one picked at kickball," she said. "Water polo became very addictive because it's almost like the dark side of swimming."
Even though she graduated in 2001, this is Greig's fourth season as men's head coach since she coached as an undergraduate.
Currently, she works at a consulting firm.
"Coaching is my real job," Greig said. "That's just to pay the bills."
Greig is actually the only female coach of a men's polo club in the nation.
"It's a big deal to everyone else but not on this team," she said. "It's a complete non-issue."
Nevertheless, there are no pregame locker room pep-talks.
"I don't know what goes on back there," she laughed.
The team also recruits members who have never even seen a game before arriving at Penn.
Schurman, for example, started playing his freshman year at Penn.
"I had swam for 13 years before I came here, and I just didn't want to swim anymore," Schurman said. "I thought water polo was just a good logical thing to do.
"Our team truly has a wide range of talents," he said. "We have guys who have never played before, and we have guys who have played at the highest levels. However, we all have a common goal and we all really enjoy ourselves."
Despite their amazing success on the East Coast, many doubt that the Quakers can compete with the country's top programs located mostly on the West Coast.
The Red and Blue, currently ranked 18th in the nation, is slated to play Cal Poly State (1st), University of Massachusetts (5th), Georgia Tech. (12th) and Grand Valley State (13th).
"We're going to the West Coast hoping to win this and there's a very good chance that we'll do so," Greig said.
"East Coast polo is far less developed than West Coast, kind of like lacrosse is out there," she said. "But I think that actually is to our benefit at championships because teams don't know what to expect."
The Quakers have proven that it can compete and beat the top teams in the country.
Villanova, last year's runner-up at nationals by just a goal was defeated by Penn all four times they faced them this year. The Quakers also handily defeated a Boston College team which was varsity last year and retained all of its scholarship recruits this year.
What does the team plan to do with their spare time in the Golden State?
"I hear we're staying right on the beach," Schurman said. "That should be really nice."
"Some guys who live in California are talking about taking their laundry home," Greig said. "We will definitely have a few field trips to In 'N Out Burger."
Whether or not a championship is claimed this weekend, the men's water polo team wishes to receive more attention from Penn.
"Being a club team there are some perks, but the Rec Department doesn't give as much as we like," Schurman said.
These Quakers are in it purely for the joy of participating.
"They work six nights a week and travel every weekend for no appreciation or glory," Greig said. "They do it all for the love of the game and I couldn't ask for anything else."
