Water polo and Tiger Inn link Colgan siblings

Most sibling rivalries extend to all sorts of quarrels. For the water-polo-playing duo of senior utility Elyse Colgan and sophomore driver Brendan Colgan, however, their fights center on just one issue.

"We only fight over the car," Brendan said.

The two siblings, who share a passion for water polo, actually get along so well that they cooperate in a musical venture at home.

"I actually have a band back home," Brendan, who hails from Annapolis, Maryland, said. "It's called Trial and Error, and Elyse is the manager. We have an EP album."

Recently, the siblings gained something else in common when Brendan joined Tiger Inn, where Elyse is already a member.

"I missed initiation, though," Brendan said, "because I got the 24-hour flu [that day]. I got the flu shot and everything, with IV [therapy]."

The siblings will have plenty of opportunities to run into each other, but that is nothing new, as they have always shared a home at the swimming pool.

"I've been a swimmer forever," Elyse said. "I was on the U.S. Naval Academy swim team since I was five."

Brendan followed his sister's strokes, starting to swim in fifth grade. But it was Brendan who first picked up a ball in the water, and it was Elyse who followed Brendan shortly after he made the switch to water polo in eighth grade.

That fateful switch is much appreciated by the Tigers, as both have already etched their names into the Princeton record books. Elyse recently led the Tigers in scoring for the third time in her career and is ranked third in Princeton history in career goals scored. She earned her third consecutive Southern Most Valuable Player Award and was named honorable mention All-America for the second time last season. She had either a goal or an assist in all but one of the games she played as a junior, tallying 47 goals and 23 assists over 25 games.

Brendan, who was touted as a hot prospect in his freshman year, certainly lived up to his billing, notching 24 goals, 16 assists and 18 steals in his first season. Brendan's debut was most impressive, as he got on the scoring chart in each of his first four games, including a brace against Gannon in the season opener and another pair in the win against St. Francis a day later. His sophomore season was just as impressive, as he helped the Tigers all the way to the Eastern Championship final.

For Elyse and Brendan, water polo is a ticket to exciting places. As the West Coast is the hotbed for the sport, the duo often travels across the country to compete.

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"Maryland's a huge swimming state, but for water polo everything was on the West Coast, so we were able to travel a lot," Elyse said. "It was really cool to just be able to go away to places like San Francisco after school, although coming back on Monday mornings on red-eye flights sucked."

Brendan's journeys took him a little farther, as he spent his 16th birthday in Sao Paulo, Brazil, when he was competing for the national youth team.

Though his experiences in Brazil were definitely unforgettable, Brendan, who is recovering from a broken hand, considers last November's overtime win against St. Francis to be just as special.

"It was memorable," Brendan said. "They played very aggressively, and we just have a history of getting into heated fights with them. We banned them last year from our pool for their conduct."

That inspirational win, however, left the Tigers fatigued, and they went on to lose to Navy the next day and missed qualifying for the Final Four.

"We were so wiped out from the St. Francis game," Brendan said. "And Navy has a very good team. Individually, they may not be better, but they play very well as a team, and they will capitalize on your every mistake."

That bitter memory has left Brendan and the Tigers more determined for better results this season. Elyse, who is now in her final year in the pool for Princeton, is no less motivated.

"Our goal is to win the Eastern Championships," Elyse said. "This year we're hosting it. So our goal is to win that in April. And winning that would put us in the NCAA. Reaching that is definitely something we always work for, although we have a blast with every game."

The women's team, which is now starting its season, just got back after a heavy weekend in the water at San Diego, Calif., after playing four games in two days. Confidence is high this season, as the Tigers boast a wealth of young talent in the freshman squad, coupled with the experience of the upperclassmen.

"Our team's smaller this year, so everyone knows they will be contributing," Elyse said. "Everyone's providing something for the team. We have a lefty, a girl who's very tall, a girl playing with the junior national team and so on. And the freshmen get along really well with us. They really fit right in."

Only time will tell how the last chapter of Elyse's career in the water will play out, but after graduating, she hopes to participate in Teach for America.

It is left to be seen how Elyse's managerial skills as Brendan's band manager will help her in the classroom. If she is as talented at teaching as she is at drilling balls into the net, that will be one lucky group of students.