Members of the Wilson High School boys’ water polo team subjected some of their teammates to violent hazing in a San Jose-area hotel room Friday, according to an email from the head coach to the team’s parents.
The email from Coach Zac Polmanteer — which a parent provided to the Long Beach Post — says the top-ranked varsity water polo team was traveling to compete in a tournament over the weekend when, after securing two wins on the first day of competition, most of the team convened in one hotel room that night. There, “multiple student athletes were subjected to humiliating and physically harmful acts. Some athletes sustained injuries from being physically struck by their teammates,” Polmanteer wrote. He did not disclose the extent of the injuries.
Polmanteer wrote that he was informed about noise complaints from the room where the team had gathered and quickly warned them about “breaking of curfew and general team conduct,” but he did not learn about the hazing until returning to Long Beach on Sunday evening. In the email, sent Monday night, he emphasized the gravity of the situation.
“This level of behavior is shocking, unacceptable, and completely contrary to everything we stand for as a program,” he wrote. Polmanteer did not respond to requests for comment from the Post.
On Monday, athletes who traveled on the trip were interviewed individually during practice hours and questioned by the school’s athletic director and several water polo coaches, the email read.
Based on the interviews, the school administration and coaching staff devised consequences — including suspension from school and water polo — and a plan of action to ensure “these events never occur again,” according to the email.
“Hazing is a cultural problem, even when only a handful of athletes directly participate. You can distinguish individual responsibility while acknowledging that the entire program has a responsibility to maintain a safe environment,” Polmanteer wrote.
He added that student-athletes and parents all sign agreements that explicitly prohibit hazing, a requirement of participation in the program.
Long Beach Unified declined to comment on the number of athletes involved or the extent of their injuries, planned and imposed discipline and whether there were previous incidents of hazing on this team, citing an ongoing investigation.
District spokesperson Eric Mitchell emphasized that hazing is not allowed and has no place in LBUSD schools and athletic programs. Mitchell did not answer whether Long Beach Unified informed police about what happened.
Long Beach police said they were not involved, and the San Jose Police Department was not able to immediately confirm if they were investigating.
On Tuesday, in a water polo match against Poly High School, many Wilson players were missing from the lineup, including the majority of the team’s seniors who had previously made up the Bruins’ starting roster this season, according to reporting from The 562. In total, 13 players who were on Wilson’s roster for a September game did not appear on the roster for Tuesday’s game, according to roster lists shared with the Post. It was unclear how many had been kept from playing because of disciplinary proceedings, injuries from the hazing or other unrelated reasons.
Wilson’s water polo team has performed well this season and ranked fourth in the CIF Southern Section’s first playoff rankings of the season, last updated Sept. 28, 2026.
A parent of a water polo athlete who asked not to be named to avoid identifying their child expressed deep disappointment about the events and how they changed the culture of the program. Not only were students injured physically, but they were emotionally damaged, especially because younger players look up to older players and model their actions, the parent said.
The parent emphasized the need for accountability and consequences, as well as conversations about intervening to stop action that hurts others.