Rogue Waves is the moniker of St. Olaf’s water polo club, founded in 1975. It is entirely co-ed, and beginner-friendly. The presidents of the team are Zoe Fallgatter ’25 and Ashley Briceno ’25. The club shares a friendly rivalry with Carleton’s water polo team, Righteous Babes, and the two teams scrimmage together periodically.
Additionally, the club competes with other liberal arts schools across the Midwest such as Grinnell, Augustana, Knox, and Macalester. The team mascot is the narwhal, and its physical manifestations are Narbles and Narbles Jr, the team’s beloved narwhal plush toys that watch over every practice.
Zoie Sellers ’26, captain of communications, shared some of her experience with me. “A lot of people on the team were swimmers in high school and had never played water polo, but now we are all proficient and compete and enjoy each other’s company. It’s been very fun to learn together and become proficient in the sport. We have great camaraderie. We are all besties’’
The team also hosts a diverse set of social events such as Rogue Waves Thanksgiving, or as the team likes to call it, “Wavesgiving,’’ karaoke, and their annual alumni weekend.
Practices are Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. and Fridays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. at the Skoglund Pool. Practices are led by coaches Jackson Hoover ’26 and Iris Phillips ’26. You can keep up with the team and their pursuits by following their TikTok and Instagram @stolafwaterpolo.