The Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach, The James Herscot ’58 Coach of Excellence Ted Minnis announced on May 27 the addition of five incoming student-athletes to the Harvard women’s water polo program. The new class includes players from both domestic and international backgrounds.
“I am very excited for this group of talented young women to join our program,” Minnis said. “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 class consists of utility player Bethany King from Santa Barbara, California; defender Eloise Kytle from Fresno, California; attacker Synnove Robinson from Honolulu, Hawai’i; utility Sierra Verma from Los Altos, California; and attacker Sophie Vickers from Cape Town, South Africa. Three recruits are from California, one is from Hawai’i, and one is an international recruit.
Minnis provided comments on each athlete’s expected contributions. Regarding King, he said, “Bethany is not only a very talented water polo player, but she is a leader in everything she does. She will play a unique role for us as a utility player. She will split time in the goal and in the field. Bethany is very athletic and can literally play anywhere in the pool.” On Kytle: “Eloise is the type of defender that fits perfectly into our system… 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: “Synnove is an attacker that can score on her legs from the perimeter or with her speed in transition… who is a true threat on both sides of the pool.” About Verma: “Sierra is a utility player that can play on either side of the pool on the perimeter… She has a lot of tools that she will be able to use for us here at Harvard.” On Vickers: “Sophie is a fast and athletic attacker… 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 completed back-to-back Collegiate Water Polo Association Championships with appearances in the NCAA Tournament after achieving 26 wins—a program record.
