A long time swimmer looking for a sport to fill time during the off-season in the fall of 2021, Boys Water Polo Co-Captain Trey Wolfe ’23 decided to give water polo a try. Although he only began playing last season, teammates have expressed that Wolfe has served as a role model for them. Wolfe is also a representative for the Athletic Advisory Board, a group of varsity athletes who work together to implement change in Andover Athletics.
According to Andrew Chinn ’24, Many of Wolfe’s personal values—such as patience, class, and optimism—are useful in his role as Co-Captain. Chinn expressed that Wolfe’s positivity and friendliness create a safe environment for teammates to communicate with him. Chinn also noted the way Wolfe carries himself as one of his defining features.
“Trey has always been a unique character, to say the least. He’s always been someone who’s really mature, and has always been trying to establish very strong values… whether that be patience or holding yourself with a certain amount of class… He’s never been someone who I’ve gotten a bad impression from, and I think he’s maintained that reputation of being someone who anyone on the team can come to regardless of the situation,” said Chinn.
Daniel Seong ’25 stated that Wolfe’s selflessness helps ensure that the whole team is working to the best of its abilities. Seong noted how important Wolfe’s advice is to his own personal improvement.
Seong said, “[Wolfe’s] the starting goalie, so he’s always in the pool for the whole game. I think Trey is one of the hardest workers in the pool and during practices. I’m new and I often make mistakes, he’s always encouraging, but also points out my mistakes for me to improve as a player.”
Wolfe believes that he leads the team in and out of the pool by organizing get togethers where the team can bond in a non-competitive setting. Wolfe tries to foster trust among teammates by building strong connections outside of practice and games.
“For example, we have this weekend off, but we’re going to do a team stretch tomorrow. Little things like that where we can get everybody together. Sometimes we’ll do something fun, that way we just get the team doing stuff out of the pool for a while, and we kind of talk to each other and we’re not in a work environment, so to speak,” said Wolfe.
Chinn highlighted how Wolfe balances work and fun both in and out of the pool. Chinn emphasized the importance of this balance to the team’s bond.
Chinn said, “Our Lower year… [Wolfe] was one of the people who was open to holding activities outside, whether that be grabbing food or being a really big voice during team dinner. I remember my lower year, the entire water polo team auditioned for Strut, and he was a really big personality, and being a participator in a fun way, and being someone anyone can reach out to and feel comfortable joking around or having fun around him.”
Wolfe expressed that he prioritizes hard work and leading by example. His lack of prior experience playing water polo gives him a unique perspective and approach to working towards his goals. Wolfe explained that he uses his leadership position to share his experiences with the team.
“The one thing I bring to the team, like I said starting water polo last year and not having a past playing it, I think I try to lead by example and work hard. I always say you can be the best player on the team or you can be one of the guys who’s on the bench trying to work for a starting spot but no matter where you are, you can always be the hardest worker on the team. That mentality is something that all of us definitely have now, and it’s helped us a lot,” said Wolfe.
Editor’s Note: Andrew Chinn is an Associate Photo Editor for The Phillipian.
