By: Jane Wilde and Sam Gruetter

Humor Editor and Editor-in-Chief

Senior Mathijs Dirven has made quite a splash entering his fourth and final year on the boys’ water polo team as a varsity captain and recent Santa Clara University commit. Dirven does not just play for the school team but extends his water polo prowess to club play, an endeavor that has taken him to Croatia to train for several years. Dirven has played year-round club water polo for 11 years, advancing enough to participate in training camps in Croatia. He described a distinct difference between the American and European style of play, noting, “It’s fun, it’s definitely a little bit like, different playing in Europe the play styles are a little different. It’s more physical and the reffing as well as they let you do more.”, However, this is a form of play he much prefers and one that better replicates college water polo, an approaching reality for Dirven in light of his recent commitment to Santa Clara. 

Dirven committed to Santa Clara in July of his junior year. He accounted for many factors when choosing a school, putting the most emphasis on the balance among academics, social life, and athletics, requirements that Santa Clara perfectly aligned with. Most notably, their business program is ranked 11th in the country, and the program in which Dirven plans to study, with a special emphasis on finance or accounting. He found his appreciation for accounting and finance in hopes of staying financially stable, with a desire to live in economically competitive Los Gatos after graduation.

 Dirven describes the close-knit bond between him and his teammates, stating, “It’s probably the closest our teammates feel with each other. The chemistry is getting better, and we’re starting to hang out more outside of just the pool deck.” Dirven says that the teams camaraderie makes them more competitive with each other and they “bring everybody’s game up.”In addition to his teammates, Dirven’s coach, Jack Bowen, significantly helped him throughout the college recruiting process and made him improve as a player overall. 

The Division One commit wasn’t always a star swimmer. He describes this hardship, sharing that he started as a goalie since he “wasn’t able to swim very well” and was “so uncomfortable in the water.” Dirven is a strong testament to hard work and dedication paying off, as he’s now off to swim for one of the top water polo schools in the country. As challenging as water polo is, Dirven finds it motivating to build strength because of how “demanding the sport is.” He’s taken this newfound love for swimming outside of the pool and into the ocean, discovering his passion for surfing. Dirven surfs at Santa Cruz’s popular surf spot, Pleasure Point, and describes it as one of his favorite activities, as he really enjoys “surfing and spending time with friends.”