During his eighth grade year, Kevan Auger almost made the 15U Olympic Development Program National Water Polo Team and was an alternate. In a sea of 6-foot-5-inch, 220 pound players, he stood a proud 5 feet 8 inches and 145 pounds.
Auger, now a 5-foot-9-inch senior driver, four-year varsity team member and CHS team captain, is a strong force in the pool. After playing in 12 games this season, Auger has compiled 46 goals, four assists and four steals, bringing the team to CCS yet again.
In his CHS water polo career, he has racked up an impressive 153 goals, 64 assists, 54 steals and 37 turnovers. His accomplishments include three Coaches Awards, the 2016 Nick Johnson Award, three All-Conference Team placements and an All-County Team placement.
The shooter first got interested in water polo during the fourth grade at only 10 years old when he saw his brother playing, and he has since fallen in love with the sport.
“I watched my brother playing and I was like ‘This is really cool,’ so I started playing the next season,” Auger says. “I was also playing baseball at the time, but over the next few years I quit baseball and started focusing on water polo.”
Senior Kevan Auger propels out of the water for a shot on goal against Valley Christian High School.
Senior Parker Fisher, a long-time friend and fellow co-captain, says that Auger has always been inspiring and continues to inspire the team as a whole while leading by example.
“He inspires the team really well,” Fisher says. “He works really hard and he’s always pushing during the games and trying his best.”
Junior Max House, another one of Auger’s teammates, agrees.
“Kevan’s a really good leader,” House says. “He’s always getting us focused, and his leadership is quiet but present. I respect every single way he treats the game.”
With regular travel up to the Bay Area to compete with higher level teams, Auger continues to expand the reaches of his water polo skill. He plans on continuing his water polo career past the high school level and bringing it to the collegiate level and cites that his reason for continuing is his love for the sport.
“Playing in college is something I’ve always dreamed of doing because being able to play at a high level is something I strive for all of the time,” Auger says.
Auger is currently being recruited by schools including the Naval and Air Force Academies, U.C. San Diego, U.C. Santa Barbara and other Division III club teams.
The captain says that his biggest disadvantage in the sport would be his size, yet he has managed to turn it into an advantage in the pool, which requires him to be quick and responsive.
A typical training day for Auger consists of two hours of swimming in the morning and two hours of water polo practice after school. Over summer, his practice time increases to six to eight hours of training every day.
“If I wasn’t playing water polo right now, I would most likely be playing soccer, a similarly fast-paced sport,” Auger says. “Something that I actually really like about water polo is the fact that you’re always doing something. I can’t find that in any other sport.”
-Ellie Alto
