Andover Water Polo Captain Jonathan Ji ’24 takes on a large role this year: the sole Captain of a 15-player team. Ji’s water polo journey began roughly six years ago, when he first came to Eaglebrook School looking to play a fall sport. Since then, he has led his water polo journey with humility and discipline.
Growing up in China, Ji was a year-round swimmer. After being introduced to water polo at his middle school, Ji pursued the sport further. In eighth grade, Ji captained the Varsity Water Polo team at Eaglebrook and spent that summer practicing extensively with his teammates back in Shanghai.
“I played with some club teams in Shanghai with some of my other Eaglebrook classmates over the summer to get better. And I remember that summer was a pretty big summer for me in terms of water polo or athletics in general,” said Ji.
While water polo was not a popular sport in Shanghai, Ji found a group of local and international players to train with. He would visit the Shanghai Olympic facility every Friday and play with adults who had different fitness levels and skills than him, challenging him to become a better water polo player.
“They were the best girls [water polo] team in China for high school, and I remember playing with them. They [were] really physical and they helped me improve… We would play in the diving well with expats… I just remember playing with fully grown Canadian men as a 14 year or 15 years old kid. It was a huge size disadvantage, but it was really good. I really stand by the fact that you get better by practicing and playing people that far out-class you,” said Ji.
Oliver Stabach ’26 emphasized Ji’s supportive nature. Whether it is offering advice, walking through drills, or explaining plays, Ji always prioritizes diligence and composure.
“When I’m defending him in practice, or going up against him, he gives me a lot of pointers and a lot of tips… He wants us to work hard in practice. He reminds us to play like how we play in practice. If the other team is being physical, [he reminds the team] to not give in to their physicalities and just play how we normally play,” said Stabach.
Zach Godsey ’25 credited Ji for being transparent and receptive when a new idea is introduced.
“He’s really big on being open to new things and coachability, and often he will give other players pointers in games. He’s a big advocate for being open to new things,” said Ji.
According to Sean Niu ’25, Ji had to assume a major responsibility after the departure of last year’s Captains Marek Deveau ’22, Marcel Montemayor ’22, and Trey Wolfe ’22. Ji has also continued to foster a collaborative environment by organizing team meals to spend time together.
“Jonathan had to fill in some pretty big shoes because we went from having three captains last year to only having one now. He’s been doing a great job. He’s been very affirmative, and very supportive, and mainly leads us in the warm-up. Usually, he catches up with us during that time or he brings us together with team dinners,” said Niu.
Ji noted that the transition of having three captains to having one captain took some adjusting, especially with balancing his responsibilities outside of water polo. However, his upperclassmen teammates have reminded him of their support and shared responsibility for the team.
Ji said, “Frankly, it’s pretty difficult. I’m more than just a water polo player on campus… I’m not always at my 100 percent and that’s when you rely on your Co-Captains… But the Senior presence and the leadership from several Uppers on the team make up for that. You don’t really need a leadership position or a specific title to lead the team.”
According to Jason Kokones ’25, Ji has grown into his role as captain as the season progressed. Kokones reflected on an early pre-season ritual, and compared it to Ji’s more recent games.
“I remember on the first day in pre-season, we were making fun of him because we always do a ‘Blue on Two’ [as a cheer] and his ‘Blue on Two’ was absolutely horrendous. This was the beginning of the season. Now, towards the end of the season, his ‘blue on two’ is so loud. It’s very animated. He’s pouring his soul into it, and we all can see that, we all hear it,” said Kokones.
