Co-Captain Zach Godsey ’25 guides the Boys Water Polo team with his supportive leadership and approachable demeanor. Alongside his strong skill set as a player, Godsey aims to inspire the team by fostering a culture of drive and determination.
Godsey began as a swimmer, but in sixth grade, after being introduced to water polo through Hawaii’s swimming program, he decided to give the sport a try and found his love for it. He emphasized his fascination with the sport’s distinctive demands for both strength and mobility.
“I like how the game is super dynamic and unique. There are a lot of sports that can be similar to it, but it has some unique aspects, and you don’t find many movements anywhere else. The physicality is also a cool aspect that I enjoy,” said Godsey.
At Andover, many of the players on the Boys Water Polo team are completely new to the sport. With this in mind, Godsey looks to lead the team by instilling confidence in these inexperienced players.
“I try my best to lead by reaching out and being helpful to everyone. I would say the vast majority of people who end up playing water polo at Andover have never played water polo before, have never touched a water polo ball, have never been in a game, or even watched a game. So it’s completely new to a lot of folks, and I’d say my leadership style is I try to reach out and lend a helping hand wherever I can for a lot of the people who are learning and who could use a hand with their technique,” said Godsey.
Brandon Xu ’26 describes Godsey as exceptionally reliable and approachable, always having the answers to any question he might ask. Xu emphasized how, whether through demonstration or by example, Godsey is always there to assist him.
“He’s a great Captain. I would say he definitely leads by example in practice. Even when I don’t know how to do something or a drill, and I can look at Zach and be like, ‘Oh, I know how to do the drill now.’ So, he is very reliable. Also, he is definitely very approachable. He answers any questions I have, if I ask him how do I do something, he answers the questions, and if I ask him to show me or tell me what should I do in a situation, he also demonstrates it, so he’s just very helpful,” said Xu.
Sean Niu ’25 also views Godsey as an outstanding leader, not only for his contributions in the pool but for his humble nature, which enhances his approachability and fosters a close bond with the entire team. Niu notes that Godsey’s modesty allows him to connect with his teammates, which makes him a great leader.
“I’ve known Zach for a very long time. I think my first memory of him was during preseason tryouts in ninth grade during the Covid[-19] year and since then, he’s been one of my best friends at Andover… Zach’s humility has been able to allow all of our teammates to get really close to him which is something that I feel a true leader definitely gets close to the people that they were to work with instead of having this false ideology of being above them. If you want to talk about him as a leader, he is one of the best I’ve ever known,” said Niu.
Another goal that Godsey has is to create a strong team dynamic through discipline. He does not measure the team’s success through their wins and losses, but rather through it’s work ethic and culture.
“My main goal is to create a team culture that is very hardworking and very driven. There’s not a quantifiable goal because I don’t think that we can really measure our success and wins and losses, but I do think that given that our team is so new, I do want the work ethic and the team culture to be something that everybody on the team is proud of,” said Godsey.
