Men's Water Polo: Vreeland matures into leadership role

On top of that, Vreeland also managed to train with two national teams. So why would a gifted athlete leave all that behind for the East Coast, where water polo enjoys far less popularity?

“When I was being recruited, one of the things the coach said to me was that in Princeton, water polo was a part of life, not a way of life. It’s just part of a bigger picture,” Vreeland recalled. “I enjoy that I have time to do other things now.”

The high school water polo standout decided to attend Princeton with the help of his parents. Princeton’s sterling academic reputation played a major role.

Despite seeing his share of ups and downs with the men’s water polo team, Vreeland has never regretted his decision. This season, the Tigers have evinced considerable potential in the pool. As a veteran player who has matched up against the nation’s best, Vreeland was particularly enthused about Princeton’s recent performance during its road trip to California, on which the Tigers went 2-3 against five ranked teams.

During the road trip, the whole team was involved offensively.

“We have a lot of guys who can step up on any given play,” Vreeland said. “I mean, they can’t stop everybody.”

Due to the rigors of academic life, Princeton’s team is only able to train two hours a day, four days a week, a stark contrast to the West Coast powerhouses that often practice up to four hours a day, six to seven days a week.

Vreeland has played his part in the team’s success, transforming from a young scoring prodigy to a charismatic leader.

“Eric brings a strong desire to win and leaves everything in the pool during games, but in practice and in the locker room, he finds ample time to provide unparalleled comic relief,” junior utility Mark Zalewski said. “He has the uncanny ability to find a song appropriate to every situation, which he then proceeds to belt out in a loud, slightly off-key tone.”

Perhaps pivotal to his current leadership role was his year off from Princeton. Following that year, Vreeland was academically ineligible to participate in any of the team’s games and could only sit on the sidelines as the team had one of its worst seasons in recent memory.

“Last year was hard,” Vreeland said. “Training with the team, being there every day, I still felt like I was completely part of the team, but at the same time, [I was] just watching the team through all the hard times. It definitely made me really excited to get back in the water, really excited to start playing again. I’m glad to be playing this season, and I’m really glad we’re doing a lot better.”

Vreeland’s teammates have certainly noticed the change.

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“In his year off, Eric has gained stunning amounts of maturity,” Zalewski said. “His experience in the professional setting has contributed to an added confidence and leadership ability.”

Vreeland balances a light and humorous side with the iron will to win, and it is perhaps this combination that has enabled him to come back strong after his year off. With Vreeland back in the fold, the Tigers have set their sights on even more ambitious goals, culminating in the Eastern Championships at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Nov. 21-23.