It was the most difficult schedule the Harvard men’s water polo team had ever encountered. Eight games against nationally ranked opponents. Three five-game weekends. Two overtime thrillers.

After all was said and done, the Crimson emerged with a solid display of depth, as veterans and newcomers alike combined to lead Harvard to its best finish under head coach Erik Farrar.

Co-captains Michael Byrd and Chris Ludwick provided the experience to carry the young squad through its taxing schedule, while the exuberance of youth propelled the Crimson to unexpected highlights.

Sophomores Spencer Livingston and Egen Atkinson each had breakout seasons, scoring 48 and 20 goals, respectively. Livingston lived up to the potential he showed in his freshman year (25 goals, nine steals, nine assists) by nearly doubling his goal total and increasing his steal count.

But Harvard’s season would have amounted to nothing without a remarkable group of freshmen. Initially counted on to provide energy and depth, the freshmen exceeded expectations and found themselves in critical roles throughout the year.

Freshman Bret Voith, who arguably had one of the most impressive rookie seasons of the year for any Harvard athlete, exploded onto the collegiate water polo scene with 41 goals, 21 assists, and 27 steals—gaudy numbers for a water polo player at any stage of his career.

His stellar season reached its apex during the Crimson’s most memorable game of the season—the opening round of Eastern Championships against No. 20 Johns Hopkins. Having played the Blue Jays twice before and falling short each time, Harvard’s chances looked bleak.

Both teams traded scores throughout the game, and Voith rose to the occasion, leading all scorers with four goals, including two decisive scores in the fourth quarter to clinch the stunning upset. For his efforts, Voith was voted the Rookie of the Tournament and served as the Crimson’s lone representative on the All-Tournament team.

While Voith and other goalscorers like Livingston and Ludwick greased the wheels to keep the Harvard machine rolling, it was the inspired play of junior netminder Jay Connolly that provided the Crimson with a defensive presence rarely seen in previous years.

“He’s always been one of the nation’s best goalkeepers,” Farrar said. “As our last line of defense, it’s good to have someone like that in the net.”

Connolly, who had 15 saves in the victory over Johns Hopkins, racked up 312 saves for the season—nearly doubling his count of 164 last year—and boasted a .541 save percentage.

Though Harvard lost its next two games at Easterns, the team finished fourth overall, improving on last year’s sixth-place finish and setting high expectations for the program in the next few years.

It was a far cry from its stretch earlier in the season when the team lost six straight over a two-week span. The Crimson’s season turned around with a thrilling 14-13 overtime victory over No. 19 Cal Baptist. Despite battling injuries and fatigue, Harvard’s sharpshooters came out firing.

Voith recorded a game-high five goals, while Ludwick and Livingston each contributed hat tricks. The overtime victory served as a catalyst for the confidence and enthusiasm the team would rely on to reach dazzling new heights.

“The program is improving year in and year out,” Livingston said. “We had higher goals this season, and we’re all pretty excited about our possibilities.”

Despite losing valuable seniors in Byrd, Ludwick, and Brian Kuczynski, the Crimson boasts solid depth and youth that received vital playing time during the year.

“We have depth that we have not enjoyed in the past, and that gives us a lot of options,” Farrar said.

Harvard will be returning five freshmen and six sophomores, and players like Livingston and Voith will combine with rising seniors Connolly and David Tune to form a formidable squad capable of turning heads in next year’s Northern and Eastern Championships.

“We’re playing tougher opponents now—this is the way the program is going now,” Livingston said. “[A top-four finish] is what we’re shooting for now, and we’re going to come back better and stronger.”

—Staff writer Mauricio A. Cruz can be reached at cruz2@fas.harvard.edu.