Captains

Dmitry Lubensky--Men's captain
Jenny Stapf--Women's captain

Dmitry Lubensky
Men's captain, president

Although everybody else calls him many different names like “Plate” or “Petri,” Dmitry Lubenski is unanimously recognized both in and out of the water as the captain.

As a freshman, Lubenski excelled that a post-season award was created in his honor, “Freshman Phenom.”

Now a senior, the president and two-year captain is even better than he was three years ago. He learned to play the hole set last year, and this year is the team’s second option in the most important offensive position, designated for the strongest players.

Lubensky is still the second-fastest player, one of the best ball-handlers, one of the best defenders, and the team’s best threat on fast breaks.

Lubensky plays marathon minutes, his only breaks coming between the quarters and halves when he holds onto the wall.

Lubensky is the quintessential leader. He never misses a practice. After the fall season ended last year, he regularly attended scrimmages once or twice a week with only a couple of other guys against the girls’ team.

This season, on one night when most of the rest of the team took time off to study, when Lubensky needed to catch up on his economics homework and when he was fighting a cold, Lubensky shrugged his shoulders and said, “Eh, I guess I'll stay at practice.”

He is always willing to volunteer to help teammates work on different skills. He tells everybody how they’re playing, what they’re doing well and what they need to improve on.

Outside the water, the amiable Russian is fun to be around. During weekend tournaments and in the locker room after practice, he's first and last to make frequent quips. He is also interested in everybody’s life outside of water polo.

Lubensky started playing water polo his freshman year in high school. He started swimming in the winter for Stevenson High School in Buffalo Grove, Ill., and played water polo in the spring.

Other captains: Andy Shessler, vice president; Evan Hessel, treasurer

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Jenny Stapf
Women's captain, president

Senior Jenny Stapf fell into water polo.

After getting cut from her Grand Rapids, Mich., high school's soccer team as a sophomore she joined her school's water polo team. Never having played before, the swimmer immediately played for varsity.

During her sophomore year in college, Stapf became a starter for Northwestern's club team after half of the team graduated.

This year, on a "fun" team of "close girls" that lost only two starters from last year, Stapf became president because most of the other players would have been too busy for the administrative activities.

Although one of the most dedicated players on the team isn't the best player on the team, Stapf does have one skill nobody else can match.

"I have a good lob shot. No one has been able to out-do my lobs," she said.

Stapf, a music-administration major in the school of music, swam, played basketball and soccer, yet she's stuck with water polo.

"I like the physicality of (water polo) the best," Stapf said. "It's a very intense sport. I don't know of any other sport that's as intense as water polo... I like being in the water. I can't run to save my life."

Other Captains: Corintha; Leal

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