Lexi Marissink '20 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Lexi Marissink. I am 16 years old and I was a starter on the 17U Youth Canadian National Team that finished second at the Youth Pan American Championships in Trinidad August 14-24, 2019.  That has been a dream of mine since I was 8 years old and started playing water polo.   I am a utility/driver with the Edmonton Tsunami Water Polo Club in Edmonton, Alberta.  I started playing water polo when I was 8 because I loved to swim. I played for the Thunderbirds Water Polo Club in Edmonton from 2010-2017 and moved to the Edmonton Tsunami Water Polo Club at the start of the 2017-2018 season. We were the 14U Provincial Champions 2 years in a row (2015-2016) and Western Canadian Champs 2015. I have played in the Canadian National League since I was 12 years old. this last season, I played both 19U and senior women's; both my teams qualified for the National Championships.  My 19U team finished second at Nationals in a shootout - it was a tough loss for all of us. 

I have worked very hard and learned to play all field positions effectively and take advantage of any opportunities to attend camps or training sessions to improve my skills. I was named to the 16U Western Canadian NCL All Star Team in 2017 and 2018 and was long listed for the 17U National team in 2017 at the age of 14.  In 2018, I was again longlisted for the 18U National team and attended centralization for the first time in Montreal.  It was an amazing experience for me; I learned a lot from the National Team Coaches, Senior Team members and made some great friends.  I was named one of the two alternates for the 18U team competing at Worlds in Serbia in August 2018.

I am very much a team player, love making new friends and embracing new experiences. Because of water polo and the various teams I have played on, I have friends and teammates all over Canada, the US and Germany. I have played in the Junior Olympics for five years now at the 14U, 16U and 18U levels respectively and competed with the Rose Bowl Black 18U team in 2018 where we won Silver in the Gold Division. In 2016 and 2017 I was selected to play on the North East Zone team in the US ODP Championships. I have been described by coaches as having a great game sense, being committed, resilient, dependable, tenacious, very coachable, displaying a positive attitude and supportive of my teammates. I take on the role of being a leader and I have natural leadership skills. I was the recipient of the Edmonton Tsunami Water Polo Club Leadership and 16U Female MVP Awards the 2017-2018 season.

I have completed the Provincial Referee Course and spend many hours refereeing community and provincial level water polo games for the U10, 12U and 14U age groups. I have worked as a volunteer coach in both swimming and water polo with athletes from four to fifteen years of age as I believe it is important to give back what has been shared with me.  In 2018, I was accepted into a Coaching Mentorship Program within the Edmonton Tsunami Water Polo Club. I coach U10 and 14U Provincial level athletes.  This program has enabled me to enhance and develop my leadership, communication, planning and organizational skills.

My next goal is to play in the NCAA and obtain an undergraduate degree in the field of sciences in order to further my academic goals of obtaining my degree in dentistry.