Typically, being late makes a bad first impression, but Jolanta Szentpali makes an exception. The freshman arrived two weeks late to campus for a good reason: a bronze medal.
Szentpali originates from Budapest, Hungary, where water polo is a way of life, far more than just a sport. She grew up active, loving to swim competitively. That, however, all changed one day at practice when her first club water polo coach approached her.
The coach noticed Szentpali throws lefty, an advantage in water polo, and her swimming abilities. He then suggested playing water polo for his club. From that moment on, nine-year-old Szentpali fell in love with the game and played with that same club for nearly a decade.
This past summer, Szentpali competed on her nation’s U18 team at the European Water Polo Championship. She spent six weeks training hard in preparation for the fierce competition, and in August, she competed against various European countries. Her team’s work paid off; she and her team finished the championships with a bronze medal.
“It was my first national team experience. It was hard because obviously it was harder than playing for the club, but it was a really good experience, the best so far. The other teams were really aggressive; they had a different play style, so in every game we needed to play differently,” said Szentpali. “We went there to get gold, but I think bronze is a really good accomplishment.”
After the summer of a lifetime, the Hungarian native traveled over 4,000 miles to play for head coach Chris Vidale’s Marist squad. The two met during Vidale’s coaching tenure with a USA Cadet team in Budapest; there, his team competed against Szentpali’s team, where she earned a spot on Vidale’s radar.
“If you look at a Hungarian, they have a really good vertical game. Half of the game is horizontal swimming, half of the game you are up vertically, passing the ball and shooting. She’s also a lefty on that side that can rip a really nice shot and pass the ball,” said Vidale.
Szentpali’s aggressive play style will fit in nicely with the blend of players on the Marist team. Vidale is no stranger to coaching international players, as nearly half of the current roster originates internationally from countries including New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, Italy and Hungary.
“Hungarians don’t mess around with water polo; they’re tough. She’s going to bring toughness and another level of shooting,” said Vidale. “I think she’ll be able to pass the ball, which is a very good skill set that she has. I’m going to push her to shoot the ball a lot more than I think she does at home because she can score the ball first, and I want her to get those goals.”
Szentpali quickly headed statewide after the European tournament concluded in late August. Despite arriving late to campus, her new teammates graciously greeted her, which she credits for her smooth transition.
“When I first arrived on campus, they were waiting for me,” said Szentpali. “They helped me settle in and showed me where everything is because I missed orientation, so I didn’t know anything. They are the sweetest girls.”
Before her August arrival in Poughkeepsie, Szentpali had never previously set foot on the Marist campus, but being around other international students helped her tremendously in terms of getting acclimated to living in a new country and adjusting to a college campus.
“The internationals help with feeling more familiar with what’s going on. You’re not the only one who’s so far away from home,” said Vidale. “They’re all missing family, all missing home, but they’re all here for a common goal: to try and win a MAAC championship, get a good education and build relationships. Those things are showing every day as we progress through the semester.”
In addition to her passion for water polo, Szentpali greatly values her education, pursuing a major in human biology. She looks forward to absorbing as much knowledge as possible both inside and outside of the pool, hoping to grow as both a person and an athlete.
“My goal is to study, get good grades, learn new things from my teammates and coaches and win as many games as we can. I want to get to know myself better as well,” said Szenpali.
Though freshmen typically have more limited roles than upperclassmen, Vidale plans to give plenty of playing time to Szenpali.
“Everyone will play. We work lines. We try to play fast. We try to play aggressively. What lines she’s in will depend on what’s going on situationally, but I do not see her sitting out by any means. She needs to rip the ball, pass the ball, and just play her game. The rest will speak for itself,” said Vidale.
Despite already training hard in preparation for their season that kicks off early next year, the season is still far away, but Szentpali eagerly awaits competing and finding success in the MAAC. Throughout her upbringing in playing water polo in Hungary, being competitive was instilled into her, and she plans to bring that energy to Poughkeepsie.
“I want to win. That’s how I grew up. The mentality on my previous club was that we need to win everything. If you train hard, you can do anything,” said Szentpali.
Edited by Nate Shoemaker, Mike Duda and Cara Lacey
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
Photo via Marist Water Polo
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