Story by Kyle Dyer

A player that has been making a big splash in water polo for the Comets is Kevin McCollum.

McCollum is playing  his sophomore season with the Comets and is currently the leading goal scorer with 60 goals in 20 games.

Nineteen year old McCollum is an alumnus of Escondido High School 

He started playing water polo because he grew up watching his brothers play and he enjoyed it. 

Before he got heavily involved in water polo he also played soccer and hockey. 

After McCollum graduated, he decided to attend Palomar. 

He said, “I decided to go to Palomar because I had classmates I knew that went or are currently in Palomar and decided to go not only because of that but also to help me academically.” 

McCollum is majoring in Kinesiology and plans to transfer to Cal State Long Beach after finishing at Palomar. 

Out of the water, McCollum enjoys hanging out with his teammates, especially Truman Irion and Nate Taylor. 

“They have been the guys I’ve been working really well with in practice,” McCollum said, “We all try to improve ourselves on the water.” 

His goal for this season is to build more chemistry with his teammates, many of whom have returned from last season. 

Their experience together  has helped them battle for a conference title. They are currently in second place in the PCAC.

When asked how  Head Coach Kody Moffatt has led them, he said, “I look to him as someone who has been a strong mentor for me to help make me better as a player and he’s definitely made a great bond with the players he coaches.” 

McCollum mentioned that the team needs to sharpen their power play offense in order to compete for a conference title. 

They are currently 12-11 on the season and 4-1 in conference play.

Moffatt also had high praise for McCollum. 

“Kevin has shown to be a great teammate and is very competitive when it comes to playing,” he said, “He has been a pleasure to have as a player.”