Mathias Steiner '26 Recruiting Profile

I began playing water polo going into my 9th grade year almost by accident.  I swam year round competitively for 4 years beginning at age 6 in NWAL and Gulf swimming.  I competed at top level invitationals (Ponderosa Invitational) and regularly was a top 5 finisher in the harder events for my age group (200 IM, 100 fly, 500 free).  I decided to take a break around age 10 as I wanted to play team oriented sports.  I played quarterback in a competitive flag football league, winning a championship and having 4 losses in 3 years.  I played soccer for a season in 7th grade.  I started at center and defensive end on my middle school football team as a 7th and 8th grader.  I came off the bench on an undefeated championship basketball team in 8th grade.  I continued to swim in Summer league (NWAL) as I enjoy the comradery and the extra conditioning it provides.  After swim practice, I enjoyed staying late to help the coaches teach the young kids (7-under) how to swim, and I intend to do that every Summer (for the extra conditioning and helping the swim team develop).

Summer of 2022 I decided (with my parents' suggestion) to play on a club water polo team.  I quickly realized this was the sport for me.  Water Polo combines the best and toughest attributes for all of the sports I love. High level of conditioning, teamwork, passing, defense, contact, intensity... this is what drew me in.

As a 9th grader, in the 2022-2023 season, I started on the Cypress Creek JV squad and by the end of the year, was one of two players selected from that squad to move up to the varsity squat for the regular season, and then the playoffs.  I earned a letter that year on a team that went undefeated in our district (11-0) and ended up 29-5, regional runner-up.

The Summer leading into my 10th grade season, I attended the Tony Acevedo camp in Dallas.  It gave me a picture, through a full day of drills, then a full day of scrimmages, of areas I need to improve in. I find I am strong in awareness, passing, and defense and need to work on shooting at a distance.  

As a 10th grader, I started at Cy Creek HS.  Our team again went undefeated in the district (10-0) and again, won the regional runner-up trophy. This was a fun season, as our pre-season tournament schedule included some of the best teams in the state (St Marks, Southlake Carroll, Marcus).  Playing against competition like this built in me the drive to get better. It led me to a season with 24 goals, 22 assists, 25 steals, and 18 exclusions drawn on my way to earning 2nd Team All District Honors in Texas 6A District 17.  I was the only 10th grader in the district to earn such acknowledgment.  

As an 11th grader my teammates elected me as team captain.  The season started off strong as I played tournaments around the state with Viper Pigeon prior to the UIL season beginning.  After 15 games, I had to sit out due to what turned out to be a Hoffa fat pad impingement in my left knee. In hindsight, I probably should have played, but the diagnosis took weeks as we visited with 3 different orthopedists before it was properly diagnosed. As of February 2025, after weeks of preventive strength training, all is fine and I resumed club play with Viper Pigeon on their select 18u team.

Academically, I have earned All A and B Honor Roll every year in high school.  As an 8th grader, I was a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Achieving academically is my priority, and I continue to work hard to keep my Honor Roll status. To get ahead, I took an accelerated math class in the Summer of 2023. I am in the Spanish National Honor Society and participate in a leadership role representing the water polo/aquatics team in school dealings. 

I am undecided on what I will study in college, however I plan to maintain a rigorous course load in addition to intensifying my water polo experience so that I am prepared to excel academically and athletically.