The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team celebrated their Women’s Division I Basketball Championship victory in their own womanly way by gathering round to hoist a 10-gallon Poland Spring bottle above their heads, soaking their coach, Geno Auriemma, without even having to ask a man to do it for them.
“I thought winning the game was hard, but holding up that bottle together might’ve been even harder,” says Breanna Stewart. “We were only playing with women’s basketballs, after all.”
The bottle wobbled slightly as the girls lifted it, with many onlookers wondering if it would fall and spill onto the court before they were able to make their way to the coach who was busy hugging her assistant coach, Chris Dailey.
“When we all got together and hoisted that bottle, that’s when it really hit me that we were winners. I could never have lifted a bottle that high without the hard work of my teammates,” says guard, Moriah Jefferson, who scored 15 points during the game.
The team weight trains roughly four hours every other day, or whenever they have time.
Fans were astonished by the display of teamwork and perseverance. “Seeing them out there on the court was really exciting, ’cause like, I’m used to just dudes playing basketball and pouring heavy shit on each other,” said student Jamaal Harris.
“But when they lifted the bottle, I was like damn, those girls are athletes.”
The team is happy with their achievement but is already looking forward to next year. “We’ve gotta keep this momentum going and focus on next year, when we lose Kiah and Kaleenah,” says coach Auriemma. “Those two had a big hand in this bottle dump and we’ll need strong forwards to fill that role down the line.”
