Sean Thomas, a redshirt senior and a 2-meter defender on the Pepperdine men's water polo team, is looking forward to this weekend's Golden Coast Conference Tournament. We discussed playing this tournament at home, how he feels coming to end of his college career and his experience interning for the Dodgers:
 
Q: Pepperdine is hosting the Golden Coast Conference Tournament this weekend. How does it feel to play this tournament at home?
 
A: It's actually really exciting because last year we had the opportunity to play it, but then the fires came in. It's super exciting to be at home for this tournament because we have high expectations and being able to play in front of the home crowd is going to be super exciting. For our entire team, it's something we really want to do and of course winning the GCC gets us that NCAA bid. There's a lot of stakes for this weekend.
 
Q: Winning this tournament means the team would be going to the NCAA Tournament. How is the team preparing?
 
A: We've been preparing ever since the beginning of the season. The goal is that we either win GCC or we try to get the NCAA bid through an at-large. Right now, the main goal is always winning the GCC. Preparing-wise, we're preparing for every single team we're going to play, which is either going to be UCI or UC Santa Barbara. For finals, it would either be UOP or Long Beach, so we're kind of taking it a little bit at a time and preparing for all the teams.
 
Q: What is your mindset going into this weekend?
 
A: My mindset is the same as always: finish the year strong. I have my own set of goals that I want to accomplish, and it's winning the GCC and ending my five years here at Pepperdine on a good note. Being able to be remembered as the team that made it back into the NCAA for the first time in I don't know how many years, but I want to be part of that history. It's been a historical season with the two wins we had against USC and Cal. It's been an exciting year.
 
Q: The team came in second place this season and is the #2 seed. What expectations do you have for the team during this tournament?
 
A: The same expectations we've had all season. We could've been the number one team, but unfortunately, we had that tough loss against UOP. It's always who plays the best at the end of the season, so that's kind of our mindset. It's whoever plays best at the end of the season is going to do the best, so we're hoping that we peak at the right time. Hopefully on Saturday, we can win in the semis and follow that momentum into the finals.
 
Q: How does it feel coming to the end of your college career?
 
A: It's rough. People have asked me about it, and I haven't really thought too much into it. It hasn't quite hit me as hard as it hit some other people. It's the last of this, it's the end of 15 years of playing water polo. This is kind of the end of it. It's a sad, but also kind of a fun moment, because it's taking a step to a new chapter of my life. For the other guys, Marko, Chris, Mate, and George, it's a step into our new lives without water polo, but I think it's going to be exciting. I don't really think about it too much because I just don't want to. It's one of those things where you want to keep playing until you can't. It'll going to be sad when it's done.
 
Q: As a sports administration major, what was your experience interning for the Dodgers like?
 
A: I was lucky enough to get an internship with the Dodgers. The title was Dodger Pride Rewards Representative, which meant I dealt with season-ticket holders. I helped out with their customer service and with marketing on how to keep season ticket holders and how to attract new ones. It was actually super interesting because I got to work with the sales, marketing and ticket teams. It was super exciting, and something that I want to pursue. I have an interview tomorrow with the Dodgers, so it's kind of come full circle. I started as an intern in the 2018 season when they made the World Series, and then I couldn't come back for the next season, which was sad, but they made the World Series again. Maybe I was the good luck charm. It was a fun experience, and I'm really happy I was able to do it.
 
Q: What is the most important thing you've learned during your time at Pepperdine?
 
A: I think one of the most important things I learned was just understanding the people around you. You can take so many different things from every single person. It could be the smallest little thing or the biggest, but it's how you take it from them. Each person is going to be different and understanding them helps you grow as a person too.
 
I think patience is a good one. Everything is going to come at you so fast. You're going to be super stressed out at times, but if you can just take a step back and realize that everything's coming and you can wait it out or you can have your own time to do it, it's a good thing.