Rosas, Schmitz raise the water polo bar at Conant

As athletic director John Kane introduced Conant's college-bound athletes in the school's faculty lounge on Thursday in a commitment ceremony, he noted that the school might have to consider a more spacious setting in the future.

It was quite a collection of talented seniors on display, with just about every sport represented, about to scattering to their futures - among them Anthony Forte (baseball) to Tulane, Leah Celarek (soccer) to Marquette, Chase Hermanson (soccer) to Northern Illinois, and Matt Fauth (baseball) and Jordan Hughes (basketball) to Western Illinois.

Part of the reason the room was more crowded than usual was because it included a pair of seniors advancing in a sport where not many from the midwest get that opportunity.

Carmen Rosas leaves the Conant girls water polo program as the all-time leading scorer. She'll soon by an Ivy Leaguer with the Brown University team, playing the sport she loves and following an interest in biology.

Connor Schmitz departs as, according to boys water polo coach Tim Daniel, "probably the best player we've ever had." A standout three-year varsity player who grew into a dominant 2-meter scorer, Schmitz will play at NCAA Division II Mercyhurst University in Erie, Penn.

Both played key roles as the Cougars advanced their teams to the state tournament for the first time, and helped the Mid-Suburban League continue to raise its profile at the state level.

Rosas re-wrote the program records for scoring. She set the single-season record with 162 this spring, giving her a total of 371 over three varsity seasons. She also had 224 steals in her career and earned 124 ejections.

Not bad for someone who tried the sport mainly as a consequence of having some extra down time when her family moved to the U.S. from South America, where Rosas spent most of her pre-high school life in several different countries.

"I had a couple of months here before school was going to start," Rosas said, "and I think my mom was looking for something for me to do. I gave it a try and liked it right away."

Conant girls water polo coach Justin Bickus quickly noticed her aptitude. Rosas started contributing big varsity numbers in her sophomore season, and she continued to improve through the rest of her high school years. One result was consecutive MSL West titles, and this year, the Cougars' first overall MSL championship.

"Each year, she was able to add a higher level of play in all areas," said Bickus. "She just really worked at it."

Daniel saw similar promise in Schmitz. The skills were there early in his career, and both Connor and his older brother Devin played important roles on Conant's first state-qualifying team two seasons ago.

"With Connor, it was easy to see the ability was there," said Daniel. "We knew that as his body continued to develop, so would his game."

A steady diet of year-round water polo helped, and Schmitz took part in the Olympic Development Program sequence in which Daniel plays a key role. The final result was a player comfortable with the physical nature of play in the 2-meter set, and one capable of both scoring and regularly drawing ejections.

"Coach Daniel really knows his polo," said Schmitz. "I'm lucky to have had a coach like him."