Sean Ferrari, a freshman attacker on the Pepperdine men's water polo team, is second on the team with 22 goals through the first 12 games of the 2018 season. He tells us about why he chose Pepperdine and how he's adjusting to collegiate level competition:
 
Q: How have you been adjusting to college classes and Division I water polo?
 
A: I think the transition from high school to college has been pretty good. My high school, St. Francis, was a college prep high school, and I think they did a really good job of preparing me for the workload at a prestigious college like Pepperdine. So far, all of my classes have been going pretty smoothly and I think that's because of the work I put in in high school and the study habits that I learned. With the combination of water polo, it's been pretty manageable because I've been doing that for most of my life.
 
Q: Why did you choose to come to Pepperdine?
 
A: I chose to come to Pepperdine because of the sense of family and community I felt here on my official visit. Obviously, water polo was a big factor. They have a great program here. Some of the coaches are the best in the world and I really wanted a place that would challenge me and I thought that Pepperdine would provide that. And, of course, the location is unbeatable.
 
Q: You have 22 goals through the first 12 games of the season. Can you tell us a little bit about how you've been able to contribute so much so quickly?
 
A: I think it's really been the encouragement of the coaches and the other players. On some teams when freshmen come in, they aren't really given the green light, but I think here everyone has been super encouraging and it has let me discover my playing style and help contribute to the team.
 
Q: Are there any particular coaches or teammates who have helped you achieve this early success?
 
A: All three coaches have been super encouraging and they've been helping me. Marko Asic, who was a GCC Player of the Year his sophomore year, has been helping me a lot, telling me tips that I can use that were so successful for him. I think George Mooney has been a huge help. He's one of our best defenders on the team, and being able to match up with him every practice and go against one of the best defenders in the league has been great. Also, I'd say Chris Dilworth has been a huge help. He's always pushing me. He's been my lifting partner and my practice partner. He's always on me, pushing me, making sure I'm putting in my best effort.
 
Q: What would you say some of the challenges have been entering your freshman year?
 
A: Living life on my own, learning how to time manage and where to put most of my effort because sometimes after a long day of water polo, you're exhausted mentally and physically but then you have to go to that class and maintain effort throughout the course of your day.
 
Q: What would you say are some of the biggest differences competing at the collegiate level vs high school?
 
A: Probably just the physicality. In college there are a lot bigger players and they are a lot more physical. It's a lot more violent than high school. In high school I was able to play a majority of the positions because of my size, but now in college everybody is a lot bigger so you have to develop your role within your own team.  
 
Q: What have you learned from some of the seniors or leaders on the team?
 
A: As cliché as it sounds, we always talk about grind in every practice and every lifting. This program has taught me how much hard work pays off in every drill and every swim set, and that's really helped and paid off for me. In every aspect of my life, I can think about the grind that takes place in the pool here at Pepperdine, and that's really been beneficial to me.
 
Q: What are you looking forward to most in the remainder of the season?
 
A: We're about to start conference games that affect our seeding for GCC. I think we've been moving in the right direction throughout the last few games. Putting our best foot forward in league and then carrying that into the GCC Tournament and eventually winning that. That's going to be played here at Pepperdine, so it would be awesome to win that tournament at home and then get into the NCAA and have a shot at the top teams.