The NIU water polo club’s A-team made the most of their last fling before concentrating on player development for the rest of the season.

A Chris Kerstin goal with 40 seconds left in overtime beat Purdue, 14-13, in the third-place game of the Midwestern Water Polo Championships held at the Anderson Hall pool over the weekend.

The Huskies were the double-elimination tournament’s defending champs. They beat the University of Illinois twice, 13-8 and 17-13, lost to Purdue, 12-9, the first time around and lost to eventual champ Northwestern 11-9.

Kerstin was the Huskies’ high scorer with 27 goals followed by Jeremy Walsh’s 13. The men’s tournament also included the University of Wisconsin (second place), Southern Illinois University (fifth), University of Iowa (seventh) and Iowa State University (eighth)

The NIU women’s team won a smaller version of the tournament, beating U of I and NU. The women won the championship game 10-7 over NU.