Natalie Zneimer '23 Recruiting Profile

After swimming for many years, I decided I wanted to try something new and joined the 680 Water Polo Club as a 10u on the COed team. Being surrounded by many exceptional boys and great coaches gave me a very strong foundation to build off of in the future. Our team went on to win first place in the 2015 Junior Olympics 10u COed division. This experience gave me a lot of exposure to the skills and dedication necessary when playing at a high level early on into my water polo career. This sport has taught me dedication, hard work, leadership and teamwork. My coaches have also influenced me by pushing me to constantly improve, and now I’ve taken it upon myself to push myself in and out of the pool. 

I am currently a rising junior at Deerfield Academy. Since the Girl’s Varsity Water Polo team’s season was cancelled last year, our school gave us the opportunity to practice with the Boy’s Varsity team this fall. During the spring, our Girl’s Varsity team had an abbreviated game schedule, but it was still nice to be able to play against another school given the current circumstances. Playing for Deerfield is vastly different than playing for a club team because of the lack of experience many of the players have. But it has given me the opportunity to become a leader, as I am one of few girls who have played prior to attending Deerfield. 

Having been at Deerfield Academy, I’ve learned to be independent, how to manage my time effectively between academics and extracurriculars, and working together with my peers. After coming out of Deerfield, I feel confident that I will be able to excel in my school work and have the time needed to dedicate myself to water polo.