Samantha Allen '25 Recruiting Profile

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little about me. 

I started playing water polo the summer before my freshman year. I had been a competitive dancer since age 8 and a competitive swimmer for six years. The first taste of water polo left me craving the fast pace, physical intensity and mental challenge of my new found athletic passion. As a freshman, I played on both the freshman and JV teams. I competed on both teams and started on the JV team the second half of the season. Although I was still learning the game, I found success in offensive counter attacks because of my speed, and at the end of my first season, I was awarded MVP of the frosh soph team. It was at this moment, I knew I wanted to dedicate myself as thoroughly and rigorously as possible in order to make up for lost time in my new sport.

I started training with Rico and Tony Azevedo at 6-8 Sports, attending his clinics and Wednesday shoot-outs, and asked as many questions as they could answer. The summer before my sophomore year, I applied to the 6-8 Sports Summer Training Academy and was accepted into this rigorous program. I began my training with my High School team from 6am-7:30am and then drove 45 minutes to Fountain Valley to train with 6-8 Sports from 8:30 - 12:30pm. I also had club practice four times a week in the evenings and weekends. The comprehensive water polo training and dedication to improving athletes in every aspect of the sport I received from all three programs proved to be incredibly rewarding as my playing ability noticeably improved by the end of the summer. I also created many valuable friendships with like-minded, hard working athletes along the way.

My 2024 Varsity high school season ended with many important lessons in and out of the pool along with the Most Improved Varsity Player award at our end of year banquet. I don't play for awards; I play to improve and learn but this was a nice acknowledgement of my attitude and effort.

I have been accepted to train at 6-8 Sports Summer Academy again for summer 2024, and additionally plan to practice with both my high school team and new club team. In August, I will travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a girls water polo training tour led by Croatian Gold Medalist Niksa Dobud and Coach Ricardo Azevedo. Our trip will include training and scrimmages against local Croatian teams at the historic VK Jug stadium pool, the mecca of water polo. I will continue this intense training to improve both my mental and physical skills to prepare to play at the collegiate level.

In the pool, I’m a very coachable, extremely adaptable player with a strong work ethic, speed, ability and mental acuity. My positive and encouraging mindset makes me a reliable team leader and communicator; my physicality as a fierce and competitive defender, explosive counter-attacker, powerful pressure passer, and contributing goal earner makes me a valuable addition to any team. I constantly strive to improve my game awareness, game strategy, body placement and to learn how my decisions in-game can affect others’ positioning and how I can capitalize on that movement. I continuously push myself to be the best athlete I can be, seeking coaching and information to take my nutrition, physical, and mental game to the next level. 

What I consider unique about myself is that I combine that intensity with my overall drive to have fun - to be sweet, kind and relatable, to share my unique sense of humor and fun personality balanced with high emotional maturity. Out of the pool, I enjoy spending quality time with my twin sister, parents, my Bernedoodles Samson and Delilah, any dogs I may meet during the day, and a few close friends. I am President of my National Charity League Chapter this year, where I have learned a great deal about organizing meetings, motivating my peers and the impact of volunteerism on my community. I take pride in being a mature, intelligent young woman who is authentic, kind-hearted and confident.

My dedication, drive and competitive spirit is also exercised in the classroom. To date, I have earned all As in my academic career (except one B+ in 10th grade: Honors Algebra 2) and have a 4.5 weighted GPA, and a 3.94 unweighted GPA so far this year. I will take AP Exams and the SAT in May and in June, I will participate in an Engineering internship program with Northrop Grumman. I received news from the National Merit Scholarship program that I will be acknowledged in the Fall as either a Commended Scholar or a Semi-Finalist due to my PSAT index score. My academic plan for my Senior year includes AP Spanish, AP Physics, AP Calculus A/B, AP Government and Economics, Honors Engineering Design and two semesters of English 12 Seminars.

In college, I am seeking a challenging and dynamic academic environment where I can also be an active contribution on a collegiate water polo team. I would like to attend a college or university that offers the highest level of academic scholarship matched with a competitive team of strong, hard-working athletes. Thank you for considering me for your team!

Best Regards,

Sam Allen