Men's Water Polo Q&A: Nico Tierney

Nico Tierney is a sophomore on the men's water polo team at Pepperdine and is already a very esteemed player with a fantastic resumé. He has competed internationally four separate times, and hopes to be an Olympian in the near future. In this interview, Nico speaks on how he feels about Pepperdine water polo's start to the season, his recent experience competing internationally, and what other steps he is taking to be an Olympian in the near future. Nico also talks about some of his favorite activities to do with his teammates, as well as how COVID-19 affected last year's season:

Q: You competed for the U.S. at the FINA Junior World Championship in the Czech Republic prior to the start of the season this fall. Can you elaborate on your experience there?

A: The competition we competed in this summer was the U-20 World Championships, and it was my fourth time getting to represent the U.S. at an international tournament. It was a great experience for me to continue to take steps forward in striving for my goal to compete in the Olympics someday. The experience at this competition was awesome. I was very appreciative of this experience as we got to play against the best players in the world from my age group. Not only did I get to go out and represent the U.S., but I was also able to represent Pepperdine and my old high school, Harvard-Westlake. Overall, this tournament was just a really phenomenal experience.

Q: Since you mentioned that you hope to compete in the Olympics someday, talk more about that. How soon do you feel you could make this dream come true?

A: I was given the opportunity to train with the Olympic team before they departed for Tokyo. Two other college athletes and I were able to train with the team before they left for this past year's Olympics. Getting to train with the guys that were already on the team was another great experience because I was able to immerse myself in their team culture and what they had going on. Hopefully, there is a chance for Paris in 2024 or LA in 2028. Getting chosen for the team that traveled this summer is definitely a step in the right direction for getting to compete in the Olympics sometime in the near future.

Q: What did it mean to you to represent the United States while playing internationally? Did you feel more pressure than you would have in other water polo games since the stakes were higher?

A: It means a lot to me. I've had family in the military, as my grandpa and my great uncle both served. Competing internationally gives me the opportunity to pay homage to my family in my own way, as water polo has always been a huge part of my life. To me, the level of competition was much higher so I had a different mindset in how I approached the game. At Pepperdine, I'm one of the younger guys on the team and I'm still trying to learn from the guys on Pepperdine's team. I was one of the older guys on the team that competed internationally so I stepped up into more of a leadership role, especially since I have competed internationally before. Before we got to the Czech Republic, I made sure the guys on this team understood what the expectations were on the coaching side. Nobody wants the U.S. to succeed internationally, so I also made sure my teammates knew the style of play and officiating would change while competing there.

Q: What position do you play? Would you consider yourself more of a presence on offense or defense?

A: I play center defender. On offense and defense, we form a big pentagon. On defense, I'm in the middle and in front of the goal guarding the guy that is in front of the goal. I would describe my position as being the quarterback of the defense because I communicate what defensive tactics we need to be running. On offense, I play at the top point of the pentagon. It's almost like being the quarterback on offense as well. It's very important that I focus on my communication. Everyone will be a bit lost if I'm not, because I'm always in the middle of the pool. In water polo, there is a basic theory called winning the battle up the middle. If you have a strong goalie, center, and center defender, it's going to be pretty tough to lose a game.

Q: Water polo can become very physical very quickly. What's the fastest you've gotten a kickout or rollout of a game?

A: It was last year when we played UCLA at UCLA. We lost the sprint and I got excluded in the first 15 seconds of the game. It was the quickest that had happened to me in my entire life and it was very frustrating on my end.

Q: What are your interests outside of the pool? Do you and your teammates have a favorite activity to do together in the Malibu area when you're not practicing or playing a game?

A: I'm a huge general sports fan. I'm a huge Angels fan as well which has been a bit disappointing, but it is what it is. A couple of the guys on the team and I also like to golf to get the body moving and use it as a way to mentally recover as well. We also like to go to the beach to relax and take a nap, and the nice ocean breeze definitely helps with that.

Q: What was it like playing last year's season in the spring instead of the fall? How did COVID protocols change the day-to-day operations of your team?

A: Having the season moved to the spring was almost more beneficial. If the season was in the fall, we would have only had about a week to train together and get into playing games. With the season being moved to the spring, we were able to get everyone back in the area and get a few months of practice in before the season started. With the school choosing to take December and January off, we were able to be primarily focused on water polo. Most of the guys were still living on campus, so we treated this time almost like NFL training camp. We would wake up, go lift, go to practice, go eat, go back to practice, and then watch film. It was super awesome in that regard because we didn't have to worry about school as much in the beginning and we were able to get our groove and only focus on polo.

When school started again, it was an easy transition because we had such a good thing going with the team last year. COVID didn't change too much with the water polo stuff in day-to-day preparation. However, when we traveled to Northern California we weren't able to fly and we had to take a bus up there. This wasn't too bad though and was almost beneficial because we had six hours to talk and get to know each other more. I think that if you're not friends with the majority of your teammates, then you're probably not going to be able to compete very well together.

We did have to show up to a few pools a couple hours early to get tested prior to playing games, which was a little annoying. The most annoying part of the COVID protocols had to be that as soon as you were out, you had to dry your face off and put a mask on. The caps that we wear made it difficult to put the strings of the mask over our ears, which was also annoying.

Q: How has the team's season started? What has gone well for you guys and what does the team still hope to improve upon?

A: It's been a bit of a rocky start as we're going through some growing pains right now and we're still trying to figure it out. It was a bit hard since two of my other teammates and I were gone competing in Europe, but the whole team is back together now. We're trying to work on positive communication and we overemphasize the idea of family. We preach being a family here. We're trying to get back to being a strong program as it has been in years prior. This past summer was a bit weird since we had guys who were in and out of practice. Luckily, we haven't had any COVID issues to start the season -- knock on wood that this continues. We hope to keep growing and getting better each and every day.

Q: When did you start playing water polo? Has playing this sport been a lifelong passion of yours?

A: I started playing when I was six. I did a swim club when I was four because the local pool was two blocks from my house. One day, I said that this was so boring and I hated swimming. My grandma and uncle played water polo so they took me to the local club practice following this and I immediately fell in love. I grew up playing water polo and baseball. Into high school, I had to choose one and I contemplated which sport I was better at. I chose water polo because I knew I was better at this sport and felt that it was a little more exciting.

Q: What does it mean to represent a school with such a high standard of excellence in this sport?

A: It was huge for me to come and play here and to get to play for Terry Schroeder, who is one of the biggest water polo names in the U.S. I also get to play for Merrill Moses, who was an Olympian and a silver medalist. It's huge to get the opportunity to play for them and continue to grow the history of Pepperdine water polo. My goal is to bring a national championship back to this school since the last time Pepperdine won it in 1997.

Players Mentioned

Nico Tierney

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