The California Lutheran University men’s water polo team has had a successful season so far going 17-3 overall and 9-1 in conference, this couldn’t be done without the help of senior attacker Parker Jory. 

Jory, born and raised in Stockton, California, found his love for water polo when encouraged by friends to join the sport. In an interview, Jory said  he had a good arm in baseball and was a fast swimmer, he realized that in combining both he would make a good candidate for water polo.

“I just personally love the sport, I love how it’s physical, and how it kept you in great shape,” Jory said. “I like the team sport aspect of it and the early mornings.” 

Jory’s dedication to the sport is apparent in his performance. In just 11 games, Jory has scored 19 goals, averaging one goal per game in the month of October.  

Head Coach Cody Pletcher assigned Jory the role of team captain due to the positivity and energy he brings to the team.  

“He’s a rally guy that people want to be around, people want to really follow. But it’s not necessarily what he says, but how he acts and what he does,” Pletcher said. 

As team captain of the Kingsmen water polo team, Jory has had a huge impact on his teammates in rallying them up and motivating them to do their best in and out of the pool.

Senior attacker Taylor Garcia and senior utility Dillon Goldsmith said Jory as a great leader in holding the team accountable.

“I’ve kind of always seen him as a good role model,” Garcia said. “Me and him have a very similar mentality on the water polo team as to where like we’re never really satisfied until we meet our ultimate goal. He’s definitely a captain in a sense of holding people accountable.”

Goldsmith said that Jory’s grind and determination are contagious, influencing the way he plays.

“Since I’ve been living with [Parker], he’s keeping me accountable to work out every day, twice a day, to be my best. It’s made me the best version of myself, especially this season,” Goldsmith said. “He has a contagious energy about him that keeps everyone around him going.”

As Jory wraps up his final season with the Kingsmen, he applauds his team’s accomplishments and hopes to bring home a championship at the end of this season. 

“Obviously, the season isn’t over, but we hope to win it all this year,” Jory said. “Everyone’s been kind of doing their job this year so it’s great to see everything come together in my last year. All the puzzle pieces kind of fell into place.” 

The Kingsmen have set high expectations for the remainder of the season. They hope to continue their winning streak and secure a spot in the playoffs.

“Since our first game, we’ve known we had a chance of winning a championship. We’ve proven in close games that we can beat some pretty good teams,” Garcia said.

The next time Jory and the Kingsmen will hit the pool is on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. at the Samuelson Aquatic Center versus the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags.