The Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach, The James Herscot ’58 Coach of Excellence Ted Minnis announced on May 27 the incoming class of first-year student-athletes for the Harvard women’s water polo team. The new class consists of five players, with recruits coming from both domestic and international backgrounds.
Minnis said, “I am very excited for this group of talented young women to join our program. They will add depth to our team and will help us right away. We have had a lot of success over the last few years and this class will help us continue to compete at a high level and hopefully continue to win championships.”
The incoming players are utility Bethany King (Santa Barbara, Calif.), defender Eloise Kytle (Fresno, Calif.), attacker Synnove Robinson (Honolulu, Hawai’i), utility Sierra Verma (Los Altos, Calif.), and attacker Sophie Vickers (Cape Town, South Africa). Three recruits hail from California, one from Hawai’i, and one from South Africa.
Minnis described King as “not only a very talented water polo player,” but also “a leader in everything she does.” He added that she would play both in goal and in the field as a utility player. On Kytle’s role as defender, he said: “Eloise is the type of defender that fits perfectly into our system. She can defend big and athletic centers and contain them as she buys time for the perimeter to crash. What separates Eloise from most defenders is her ability to counter the center up the pool, where she is an immediate scoring threat.” For Robinson’s attacking abilities, Minnis said: “Synnove is an attacker that can score on her legs from the perimeter or with her speed in transition. She is a very good perimeter defensive player, who is a true threat on both sides of the pool.” Verma was described by Minnis as follows: “Sierra is a utility player that can play on either side of the pool on the perimeter. What I really like about her play is how she can finish off a drive by posting up. She has a lot of tools that she will be able to use for us here at Harvard.” Regarding Vickers, he said: “Sophie is a fast and athletic attacker, who uses her speed to gain advantages in transition. She has a good shot and is a threat to score as she receives the ball. She will add speed and athleticism to our team.”
Harvard women’s water polo recently achieved back-to-back Collegiate Water Polo Association Championships along with appearances in the NCAA Tournament while setting a program record with 26 wins.
