All roads lead to Atlanta for Saint Louis University’s men’s club water polo squad. The Billikens are Peach State- bound after clinching a berth in this weekend’s National Collegiate Club Championship.

The Bills, coached by Dan Goeddel, are seeded sixth in the 16-team bracket. The action will take place in the pools of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“All the hard work we’ve put in the pool this fall is finally starting to pay off,” junior utility player Craig Borkovec said. “All the extra laps in the pool and time in the weight room was like putting money in the bank.  We’re going to put it all on the line this weekend. Nationals is going to be the time when we cash out.”

SLU had to overcome perennial nemesis Lindenwood University in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game on Oct. 28 in order to secure their place in the national tournament. The Billikens had come up short against the Lions of Lindenwood the previous two seasons— two years ago in a double-overtime thriller and last season at the hands of a last minute goal from the Lions.

These crushing defeats served as a motivational tool for this year’s team.

“We all hyped up the game this year against them,” Borkovec said. “The older guys still felt the sting from those two losses, and we made sure the younger guys on the team knew about our history with Lindenwood.” When the clock expired in their 12-10 victory over the Lions, Borkovec described the team’s emotions as “pure elation.”

Players launched themselves into the pool to celebrate while the Lindenwood players swam off in a frustrated, dejected manner.

Shortly after collecting their hardware for the conference championship, the team’s focus shifted to their first round opponent, the Univeristy of Illinois-Chicago.

“We have team that’s anchored with veterans,” Borkovec said. “That’s one of our biggest assets. We’re taking it one game at a time with our eyes fixed on the prize.”