Water Polo Co-Captain Molly MacKinnon ’24 creates a team that fosters inclusivity among both its returning and new players. She is an outgoing teammate whose personal experiences and knowledgeability betters the team.
MacKinnon started playing her Lower Year after many years of competitive swimming. She immediately fell in love with the supportive and fun team. MacKinnon noted how the positive environment allowed her to feel comfortable with asking questions and improving.
MacKinnon said, “I started playing water polo my [Lower Year] at Andover, because I was a new Lower. I grew up swimming competitively but never really played any other sports, so I was super excited about joining the water polo team… We are such a close knit group and when I got to the team without playing before, the team and… [Head] Coach [Jill] Meyer made me feel so welcome and made the team really fun to be on. The supportive and encouraging [environment] gave me the courage to make mistakes and ask questions to get better and learn more about the sport.”
As a captain, Mackinnon makes noteworthy efforts to provide a community for every single player on her team. Ariana Zhao ’25 mentioned MacKinnon’s strong water polo skills and her admirable ability to bring inclusivity onto the team.
“She’s a great player, and she is really good at water polo. She brings a lot of inclusivity into our team, especially within some of the returners who have been playing for a couple of years and also some of the newer people who maybe have never played before. She really makes sure to include everyone and that is a very admirable trait she has,” said Zhao.
Leading by example through hard work and being able to utilize her coach’s feedback is vital to MacKinnon’s leadership. MacKinnon discussed how she is determined to always have a positive attitude in hopes that she creates an environment conducive to learning for the newer players.
Mackinnon said, “I have more experience than a lot of kids who are playing on the team this year, so I try to share my knowledge of the sport whenever I can. I lead by example by working really hard in practice, taking Coach’s feedback, and giving feedback to other players on the team, especially those who ask questions and are actively looking to improve their skills. I also try to have a positive attitude, both during practice and during games because when you’re playing against more experienced teams with a newer group of athletes it can be a little bit difficult to keep a positive mindset.”
After three years of playing and putting in significant amounts of work during the summers, Mackinnon’s skills are evident. Mira Patodia ’26 highlighted how MacKinnon has helped the team learn the sport and strengthen its skills.
Patodia said, “Her leadership is a great help on the team. She has a lot more experience in comparison to a lot of the people on the team. This is her third year, and she has put her work in during the summers as well. With that experience she’s been able to help the team, [help] the newer players learn the sport, and also help fellow returners strengthen their skills.”
During games and practices MacKinnon brings a good mindset and helps her teammates do the same. Zhao recognized how MacKinnon reminds them to remain positive in team huddles and team meetings.
Zhao said, “One of her greatest values is how positive she can be in practices or during games. Sometimes, if people are a bit frustrated or confused, she always reminds us to stay positive and that happens when we are in games. She’ll say a lot of positive things in our team huddles outside of the pool and during team meetings.”
MacKinnon manages to stay calm when faced with physicality. As a captain, she understands that her actions influence her teammates to follow in her footsteps. She mentioned how she tries to be in the moment and not dwell on mistakes.
Mackinnon said, “I try to keep a ‘goldfish brain,’ [as] my coach likes to call it. [If] I make a mistake, I try to forget about it and move on to the next play and stay in the moment… I play one of the positions where you get ‘roughed up’ the most… There is a lot of aggressiveness and physicality that maybe shouldn’t be allowed in the game but is part of the sport because the ref[eree] can’t see it. So, keeping my composure in my position is really important because I know other people on the team see me as a leader and if I keep a level head then hopefully they will too.”
With many returning players and some enthusiastic newcomers, MacKinnon is enthused to embark on the rest of the season. She mentioned how she wants her team to focus on communication and improve its awareness in the pool.
“We have a ton of strong returning players, and we have a couple of newcomers this year who are bringing lots of enthusiastic energy to the team. It’s refreshing to have them because of their excitement to learn the sport… A lot of us are swimmers so we are used to just diving in the pool and having us ‘go, go, go,’ but in waterpolo you have to be a lot more aware of what is going on… Communication is key because if you tell them something they are a lot more likely to do it. It’s easier to avoid miscommunications and frustrations when you are really making efforts to communicate,” said MacKinnon.
