Jack Merickel '24 Recruiting Profile

My name is Jack Merickel and I'm part of the 2024 class at Bakersfield Highschool in Bakersfield, California. My GPA ranges from 3.06 to 4.50. I am in all Honors and AP classes and wish to continue furthering my education in college. I feel like I can be an asset to any team I play on because of my coachability, dedication, and skill. I believe in my drive, work ethic, and strong mentality. I am striving to play water polo in a more competitive league and at the college level. Currently, I am playing the 2m and driver/post-up because that is what is best for my team. However, I can succeed in any position that a coach sees fit.

My town recently introduced water polo to the school districts, with only a few schools creating teams. My school, Bakersfield Highschool, was one of those schools. I was the team captain of my school’s first-ever and second-ever teams as a sophomore and junior. I helped lead both teams to the first-ever and second-ever league championship win. I scored 102 goals on our Varsity team during the 2021-2022 season and 89 during the second season. I was named an All-Area 1st Team player both seasons and awarded All-League Offensive Player of the Year during the 2022-2023 season. I am always working to improve my knowledge and skill because I am trying extremely hard to play this sport at the highest level possible. I recently started a private coaching company that I independently run to help the new athletes in my town get the extra training they deserve. My company is called Bako Waterpolo Lessons and I work with multiple new players in my town and help them get a jump start on their water polo careers. Along with all of this, I continue to stay in the gym, watch film, eat, recover, train with whoever I can, improve my swim times, and be a student of the game. I've recently started working with NCSA to help me find a college where I can play higher-level water polo. Please feel free to contact me whenever using any of the contact info on my NCSA profile. Thank you!