Since Marist water polo’s first season in 2002, the program has recruited heavily from across the United States, including the domestic water polo hotbed of California. Now, with the growth of water polo at American universities making the sport more competitive, Marist has branched out internationally and recruited players from the top ranked water polo countries in the world including Spain, Hungary and Italy.
“Recruiting in the states really is the haves and have nots sometimes,” said Marist water polo head coach Chris Vidale. “They’ll have to prefer Marist over Harvard, Marist over Princeton. It’s a tough sell.”
This leads to an important question: what does Marist have that attracts these high profile international players? Coach Vidale believes it is the importance of connections and reputation.
“It’s really about word of mouth,” Coach Vidale said. “People knowing me and my coaches, and having a reputation that we’ll give you a good deal and take care of you.”
As a coach of the Team USA pipeline system, Vidale has had opportunities over the years to make those connections. In 2023, Vidale was named head coach of the USA Cadet National Team. The following year, he coached his team to a bronze medal at the U19 championships in El Salvador. Vidale has cultivated a winning culture on every team he’s coached, and he attributes this success to the value of connections.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to spend two summers in Hungary and a summer in Spain coaching, so just being able to see who’s out there and build relationships with other coaches helps,” he said.
It also does not hurt that Marist has a top study abroad program, and Vidale has used that to his advantage. In his recruiting pitches, Vidale mentions that Marist has campuses in Europe that players can make use of during their collegiate careers.
Marist attacker Viktoria Kiss, a sophomore from Budapest, Hungary, seconded coach Vidale’s statement about strong connections helping bring her to Marist. She also stressed how friendly and inviting the coaches were, despite the fact that she had yet to decide on Marist when first visiting.
“Coach Chris never made me intimidated or nervous, and it was him who really made me want to pursue this place,” Kiss said. “It was the human aspect, like some coaches just focus on the sport aspect and GPA. But at Marist, I can really just be myself and be a good person, because I’m surrounded by good people.”
Once the recruits are through the door, however, there is still a learning curve for players to adjust to.
The NCAA water polo structure differs heavily from the traditional structure overseas. There, club sports dominate, with players often earning professional salaries. Collegiate water polo has a far shorter season than professional leagues internationally, leading to multiple games per week for an extremely taxing sport.
“It’s definitely more competitive over here in the states,” said Samantha Bentley, a junior utility player from Auckland, New Zealand. “At home, it’s a bit more physical and a bit slower, and here it’s more fast paced and skill based.”
Bentley’s emergence this season has helped the Red Foxes tremendously. After connecting for three goals in 2024, Bentley came back in 2025 with 14 goals. Despite the learning curve, Bentley has proven herself as a top option for one of the most talented water polo rosters in the country.
Olufunke Gando, a sophomore goalie from Johannesburg, South Africa, also mentioned differences from NCAA and international water polo styles to overcome including the fast-paced environment in the United States.
“The biggest difference is the different structure of the US competition setting,” Gando said. “It’s a very fast paced environment here, much less easy going.”
“It makes you more of a colorful player, like you have more tools in your box,” Kiss said of playing in a new environment. “Learning the language of the team as well takes a lot of adjustment and adaptability, and that’s a really good skill for a water polo player to have.”
Marist has improved its in record each of the past three seasons and set a program record in winning percentage with 25 wins to just six losses this season, despite falling to Wagner in the MAAC Tournament for the third straight year. Coach Vidale attributed this success to an improvement in the team’s depth.
Marist had 19 different players score a goal this season, despite not having a player score 20+ goals for the first time since 2022. This more balanced attack led Marist to being an incredibly dangerous team to defend, as most of the team’s players showed an ability to both score and defend.
“Being able to go six in, six out on the subbing and not skip a beat is very helpful,” Coach Vidale stressed. “When I first started, we got kids from good clubs, but the depth chart would go quick… just being able to bridge that gap between quantity and quality is important.”
All three players attributed the improved team chemistry as the biggest factor in the team’s success.
“There’s more camaraderie on the team than ever before,” Gando said. “And this year, we’ve done a lot better at showing up throughout the entire game. We know the game’s not over until the last whistle blows, and now we’re playing like it.”
Marist water polo’s rise from just another MAAC school to a top 25 team in the country is a testament a team culture built from all over the world.
“Everybody bringing their own experiences together is a fun picture for what we’re trying to do here,” said Vidale. “It’s a little microcosm of what the bigger picture is.”
Edited by Max Rosen and Ava Battinelli
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Marist Athletics
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