Malibu Water Polo booms as 16 freshmen join the pool

By McKenzie Jackson · Fri Aug 14 2026

A record turnout fueled by grassroots development and a thriving youth pipeline gives the Sharks their deepest roster under head coach Hayden Goldberg as the 2026 season begins

The Malibu High Sharks boys water polo squad began preparation for their 2026 campaign on Monday with the highest number of participants in several years.

Sharks head coach Hayden Goldberg said 37 players, including 16 freshmen, are taking part in the team’s annual “hell week,” a period of two‑a‑day practices highlighted by a lot of swimming for conditioning.

“It’s the most I’ve had since I’ve taken over the program,” noted Goldberg, who became Malibu’s head coach in 2018. “Sixteen kids is a lot of kids. The goal is to keep these kids in our program all four years.”

Malibu junior Luke Trujillo, 16, isn’t surprised so many freshmen joined the high school program since many of them play club water polo with South Coast Aquatics, which also features older Malibu players on its teams.

“Last season, we had a lot of good seniors as varsity starters, so we lost a lot of good players,” he said. “We had this big class that saw them practice with South Coast coming into the program. This year is going to be good for us as a program to develop them.”

Malibu finished last season with a 19–8 overall record and a 4–2 record in the Tri‑Valley League, finishing second in the league. The team advanced to the second round of the playoffs, falling to Glendora 9–8 in double overtime.

Goldberg is ready for the upcoming season.

“I’m excited that the boys are back in the pool,” he said.

Trujillo, a passionate player named to the Tri‑Valley League’s honorable mention list last season, hopes the Sharks’ offense features more movement and hard cuts toward the goal this year.

“It’s one of the more fun ways to play the game,” he said. “I’m also excited to have new players and play with a lot of my friends. I’m excited to compete, and hopefully at a high level.”

This week Goldberg and assistant coach Mike Mulligan will determine which players will be on the frosh/soph, junior varsity, and varsity rosters.

Goldberg wants everyone to have the chance to play and noted that some of the freshmen will be on the varsity squad.

“They have the size,” he said. “They have the smarts. They have the skills. They are just young. It’s a good problem to have — how many kids we have.”

Trujillo said some of the younger players will ease into high school competition, while others might struggle initially.

“A lot of kids come into the sport not realizing how physically demanding it is as an aquatic sport,” he said.

The freshmen Sharks began their journey to the high school pool as eighth graders when they participated in a free water polo clinic for middle schoolers organized by Goldberg and Malibu Middle School Athletic Director Darryl Adams.

Nearly 40 boys and girls took part in the event, designed to introduce water polo to students.

“To me that was phenomenal,” Goldberg said. “I thought it would only be 11 or 12 kids. We excelled at it.”

He added that many of the kids had siblings who played water polo, swam, or were junior lifeguards, so they already had an interest in water activities — the clinic hooked some on water polo though.

“When it came to water polo signups at the end of the year, 16 incoming freshmen signed up,” Goldberg said. “I’m lucky that they all want to play water polo.”

Adams credited Goldberg and Mulligan for the success of the clinic.

“They go above and beyond to make sure kids understand the concept of water polo,” he explained. “Malibu Middle School wants to be a feeder into high school athletics. Water polo and swim are Malibu’s winningest programs. Malibu Middle School water polo could be a huge addition to our high school program.”

The newest players then jumped into competitive waters with the older players during a summer league.

Goldberg focuses on skill development and team conditioning during “hell week,” but also enjoys the team camaraderie the Sharks forge.

“I also try to be the best I can to be as hard as I can on the kids but also have them understand that I am trying to build team chemistry,” he said. “We are doing this together. It is not trying to make a kid swim as many yards as he can until his arms fall off. There is reason behind the run.”

Malibu lost seven seniors from last year, including three who never subbed out of matches. Along with Trujillo, Malibu’s returning players include upperclassmen Martin Kurial, Nikau Webb, and Lucas Galan, and sophomores Curren Jensen and Tosh Webb, Nikau’s brother.

Goldberg wants them to be leaders.

“They have to be on time,” he said. “They have to have patience — not everyone is going to be as talented as everyone else. They are all role models whether they want to be or not. It is not just about goal scoring.”

Trujillo wants to show his inexperienced teammates the basics of water polo so they can have fun competing.

“We have Coach Hayden outside, but we don’t really have coaches in the water,” he added. “It’s good for the more experienced boys on the team to work with some of the younger boys.”

Goldberg expects the squad to be a scrappy bunch.

“We are going to be competitive,” he said. “That is what matters.”

Malibu’s season begins with a home matchup against Camarillo on Aug. 25.

Goldberg said Malibu’s newest players must buy into the team’s winning culture.

“We don’t want to burn them out by the end of this season,” he said. “We want to keep them in. At one point, we will have 16 solid seniors, which is pretty trippy to think about.”