Colgan sets tone for undefeated team

Elyse Colgan is frighteningly good.

Two Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern division Most Valuable Player awards in two years. Seventy goals as a freshman, 82 as a sophomore — good for ninth in the nation. First team All-Southern Division. First team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference. All-America honorable mention.

And that was just in her first two years.

The junior water polo player out of Annapolis, Md., has racked up the accolades since arriving at Princeton, recently topping them off by being named to the U.S. national team. This season she leads the Tigers, who currently stand undefeated at 7-0, with 17 goals and 10 assists in seven games.

Colgan, however, is less concerned with individual achievements than those of the team. One of her stated goals is winning an Eastern championship, something she has yet to accomplish. Winning Easterns earns a spot in the NCAA playoffs, a level of success Princeton has not achieved in several years. The team has come close each of the last few years, finishing fourth last year and sixth in 2004.

According to Colgan, the quest for that title began well before the Tigers took to the water against Villanova for the first contest of the season. Conditioning, frequent lifting and more difficult swim sets all factored into Princeton's offseason training.

"This year, we worked a lot harder in the offseason so that we would be in better condition at the beginning of the season," Colgan said. "I'm always trying to get stronger, faster, improve my game sense. I'm also trying to focus a lot on defense."

Despite her success, both Colgan and her coach maintain that she can become even better.

"As an athlete, you try to improve every part of your game," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "Elyse realizes that she still has room for growth, she wants to be the best all-around player she can."

Colgan was more specific in her assessment. "Right now, I am trying to work on my outside shooting and shooting the ball faster out of set," she said. "I have a long list of goals for this season—things I need to work on and improve. I try to pick one thing each practice to focus on and make better."

According to Colgan, she continues to make improvements by making water polo an absolute priority, even though she has accomplished so much already. She leaves no stone unturned, no aspect of the game unpracticed, as she tries to become the best water polo player that she can. But Colgan does not push to this level of excellence just for herself, but also for the other 17 girls on the team.

"One of her best qualities is that she makes the players around her better," Nicolao said. "Water polo is a team sport and she will do whatever it takes to help the team."

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This season, beyond just scorin goals, helping the team has entailed sharing the captain's duties with senior driver Megan Donahue, duties which she did not have as an underclassman. But for Colgan, to lead means to lead by example, and she believes the other girls on the team possess the same driving work ethic that she does.

"We are fortunate to not only have Elyse but have a group of girls that are committed to each other and will make the sacrifices required to help one another succeed," Nicolao said.

So opponents take notice: the Elyse Colgan who burned you for over two goals a game last year is not yet finished. She is getting better, and she is bringing her team up with her.