By Kevin Nix and Patrick Schneider, Cronkite PR Lab
Arizona State proudly boasts a diverse student body, and that extends to its student-athletes. Many of its best athletes are from other countries, but they have all made ASU their home. Bonds between these athletes are strong and deep, with few tighter than those in water polo.
Lara Kiss
Hard work, adaptation, and sacrifice will get you far. Lara Kiss ingrained this mentality at a young age, and it has remained prominent throughout her entire life, especially in the pool when she’s playing water polo.
She always knew water polo was the sport for her, and she had her brother to thank for that.
“I would say my biggest role model is probably my brother. I started playing water polo because he was doing it,” Kiss said. “I just really admire him for everything that he's doing."
Kiss is a graduate student from Budapest, Hungary. Starting at age six, Kiss played for the UVSE Water Polo Club in Hungary for 13 years. At age 16, she became a permanent member of the senior team. They went on to participate in the European League, winning one year and earning second in the next, and then went on to win four national championships, three Hungarian cups, and three Super Cups.
So why ASU? Why leave Hungary and all these amazing opportunities?
“My club had a lot of international players as well, and one of my teammates was actually Maggie Steffens, who's, like, a three-time Olympian,” Kiss said. “And because of her, I basically started thinking about coming to the U.S.”
With new opportunities around the corner, Kiss began looking at schools in the U.S. where she could continue her thriving water polo career. She eventually found ASU where she got in contact with Petra Pardi, the university’s water polo coach.
“I reached out to now our head coach, Petra, who was back then our assistant coach, and we were talking for a while. She watched a couple of my games and then I just ended up here,” Kiss said.
She played four outstanding years of water polo at ASU, receiving many accolades such as team captain and picking up an all-conference honor.
“The community is just so connected. Everybody is just trying to help you. There's always somebody to pick you up or help you with the next step,” Kiss said. “It's just amazing to see how everybody around you just wants you to succeed and would help with anything.”
Though fulfilling, achievement and success in the sport did not come without sacrifices. Although not planning on playing professionally, Kiss is back for her fifth year on the team and hopes to give her all.
“I still am doing everything I can for this program, and I hope that my work will leave a mark or have a legacy here,” Kiss said.
Millie Quin
Having a father who played water polo for the New Zealand national team made the sport a part of Millie Quin’s life since birth. It wasn’t long before she, too, began playing.
Born in Tauranga, New Zealand, Quin has played water polo for over 10 years. She eventually moved to Auckland to go to high school where she met Sophie Shorter-Robinson, now her teammate at ASU. Here, she pursued better opportunities in the sport.
“I moved for water polo and then just started training with the senior team and then kind of built my way up that way,” Quin said.
Quin is now a sophomore at ASU and brings a lot of national experience to the university’s team. She is a member of the New Zealand Women’s National Team, competed in the 2022 FINA World Championships, served as New Zealand's captain at the 2022 Youth World Championships, and earned the title of 2022 Diocesan School Sportswoman of the Year.
Her coach in high school, Angie, played water polo internationally and was a major reason why she decided to move to America.
“It became a lot more common over the last few years to go and study in America,” Quin said. “I think just for my overall experience in and out of the pool, being able to use water polo as a way to do that I think is kind of the drive for me.”
Quin spent her freshman year playing water polo at UC Berkeley in California while Sophie went straight to ASU. Eventually, she found her way to the Grand Canyon State.
“I originally was at Cal, and then over the summer I started talking to Petra,” Quin said. “Sophie has had a good experience so far, so I guess that's kind of helped in my transition to ASU.”
Transferring from place to place was never easy for Quin. From being younger than her teammates to having a hand injury, adversity was plentiful.
“I'm injured now. I've torn the ligaments in my thumb. But I would say, like, the most adversity I've faced is just coming from New Zealand,” Quin said. “The sport isn't super common, so everyone that plays like, you know, and they know you. Sophie and I were both the young ones on the senior team and I definitely faced a lot of being the young one in the team.”
She has only been at ASU for eight weeks, but her experience thus far is promising.
“I'm really enjoying it so far,” Quin said. “The amount of support we have academically and, like, all the support we have, you know, with nutrition training I think is it's a lot different. They just want the best for you, which is a really nice feeling to have.”
Quin has high hopes at ASU. With the constant support of her teammates and coaches, she is excited to continue improving in her sport and eager to reach new heights.
Sophie Shorter-Robinson
Like Millie, Sophie Shorter-Robinson was born in New Zealand, specifically residing in Auckland. She gravitated towards water polo due to her older sister’s excellence in swimming.
A sophomore at ASU, she has played water polo for ten years, and as stated earlier, crossed paths with Millie Quin en route to their shared journey to Arizona State. Both Robinson and Quin were on the same high school swim team.
“Everyone knows each other and you kind of grow up playing with the same people,” Robinson said. “At high school, Millie and I were playing together for the last four years. It’s good in a way. It’s good to form those bonds and play together.”
She has a wealth of international experience, as she played for four years on the Atlantis City water polo team, and she is a two-time gold medalist on the New Zealand Senior National Team. Robinson competed in the 2023 Women’s World Cup for water polo in June and scored a goal. Alongside Quin, she took part in the 2023 World Aquatics Water Polo World Championship.
As an experienced water polo athlete in both New Zealand and the United States, Robinson noted the key differences between the two nations’ approach to the sport.
“In New Zealand, it’s definitely a lot different,” Robinson said. “Once you come overseas, you see the difference and level of physicality because in New Zealand, we have quite a small National League with like six teams, maybe. It’s not as big as European [teams] for example.”
Robinson’s aspirations are sky-high. She wants to compete professionally for a European team, with her biggest dream being to play in the Olympics for New Zealand. At a local level, she wants to finish her bachelor’s degree in communications and play water polo as long as she can.
Her close bond with Quin has carried over to ASU, allowing her to tightly gel with her other teammates. Like in New Zealand, the ASU water polo team is tight knit, a home away from home.
“Coming here, everyone was so welcoming, and it does feel like a second family now,” Robinson said. “Everyone just wants you to be the best you can [be] and push you to do that. Having such a supportive coaching staff and team makes you want to work that [much] hard[er] not just for yourself, but for them as well.”