Angelina Burrows, Harker School, class of '25
Angelina joined the San Jose Express Water Polo team the summer before 2nd grade. Back then, attending practice was an automatic playdate with her friends, and after 7 years, these friendships, and this support system have only deepened and matured. When she served as goalie for the 10U girls and mixed team, she worked hard to be a reliable and capable teammate.
In 2018, she attended the Olympic Development Program as an alternate goalie for the PAC Zone, and there she met many athletes and coaches that motivated her further, so when she transitioned to a field player the following season, she could picture what kind of teammate she wanted to be in this new role. Olympians Ashleigh Johnson and Brenda Via are her role models. Ashleigh Johnson is a beast in the goal, and she is also a reliable leader to her team which inspires Angelina to serve her team in a similar manner, and Brenda Villa works so hard to make water polo accessible to girls from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. This pursuit of social justice and equity is meaningful to this athlete, something she wants to pursue herself.
Angelina is proud of being named to the National Development Team this year, and she will continue to work hard to learn and grow, both in the sport and as a person.
Angelina joined the San Jose Express Water Polo team the summer before 2nd grade. Back then, attending practice was an automatic playdate with her friends, and after 7 years, these friendships, and this support system have only deepened and matured. When she served as goalie for the 10U girls and mixed team, she worked hard to be a reliable and capable teammate.
In 2018, she attended the Olympic Development Program as an alternate goalie for the PAC Zone, and there she met many athletes and coaches that motivated her further, so when she transitioned to a field player the following season, she could picture what kind of teammate she wanted to be in this new role. Olympians Ashleigh Johnson and Brenda Via are her role models. Ashleigh Johnson is a beast in the goal, and she is also a reliable leader to her team which inspires Angelina to serve her team in a similar manner, and Brenda Villa works so hard to make water polo accessible to girls from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. This pursuit of social justice and equity is meaningful to this athlete, something she wants to pursue herself.
Angelina is proud of being named to the National Development Team this year, and she will continue to work hard to learn and grow, both in the sport and as a person.
Vyom Vidyarthi, Harker School, class of '25
Vyom, a rising 9th grader at the Harker school, started his waterpolo journey 7 years ago with San Jose Express Waterpolo club which was a relatively new club at that time. Vyom enjoyed swimming and was the fastest swimmer in his grade then but he was looking for a more fun water sport. Waterpolo was just right for him though not an easy one. We still remember him spending a significant amount of time learning the egg-beater! The added advantage of playing a team sport if that he has made some very strong friendships that he will cherish lifelong.
Vyom was fortunate to have great coaches since the beginning and he has always looked up to coach Sasha as his idol. Every SJX coach (Victor, Peter, Davor, Lee, Sasha) added to Vyom’s waterpolo strengths over the years. He plays waterpolo as a lefty (though he writes with his right hand!) and hence primarily plays positions 4 and 5. The invitation to join ODP development program this year was a long awaited opportunity which widened Vyom’s perspective and enhanced love and respect for the sport.
Vyom enjoys playing a multitude of sports. He is truly an athlete at heart and strongly believes that there is always a lot to learn and improve. Besides waterpolo, Vyom plays tennis and basketball. He also participates in track and field events. Vyom loves to play chess, too. Vyom also shines academically and is a delightful kid and loving brother. He is motivated to improve and strives to be the best at whatever he does.
Vyom, a rising 9th grader at the Harker school, started his waterpolo journey 7 years ago with San Jose Express Waterpolo club which was a relatively new club at that time. Vyom enjoyed swimming and was the fastest swimmer in his grade then but he was looking for a more fun water sport. Waterpolo was just right for him though not an easy one. We still remember him spending a significant amount of time learning the egg-beater! The added advantage of playing a team sport if that he has made some very strong friendships that he will cherish lifelong.
Vyom was fortunate to have great coaches since the beginning and he has always looked up to coach Sasha as his idol. Every SJX coach (Victor, Peter, Davor, Lee, Sasha) added to Vyom’s waterpolo strengths over the years. He plays waterpolo as a lefty (though he writes with his right hand!) and hence primarily plays positions 4 and 5. The invitation to join ODP development program this year was a long awaited opportunity which widened Vyom’s perspective and enhanced love and respect for the sport.
Vyom enjoys playing a multitude of sports. He is truly an athlete at heart and strongly believes that there is always a lot to learn and improve. Besides waterpolo, Vyom plays tennis and basketball. He also participates in track and field events. Vyom loves to play chess, too. Vyom also shines academically and is a delightful kid and loving brother. He is motivated to improve and strives to be the best at whatever he does.
Maximilien Leroy, Los Gatos HS, class of '21
Max started playing water polo his freshman year of high school (Los Gatos HS) with little knowledge or expectations surrounding the sport. However, a successful first season led him to join San Jose Express where some of his high school coaches and friends already were.
He went on to play with SJX until the end of his junior year after having played on and captained both the 16u and 18u teams and having competed twice in the Junior Olympics.
He now plans on applying everything he has learned from his high school and SJX teams in the water polo program at Chapman University.
Max started playing water polo his freshman year of high school (Los Gatos HS) with little knowledge or expectations surrounding the sport. However, a successful first season led him to join San Jose Express where some of his high school coaches and friends already were.
He went on to play with SJX until the end of his junior year after having played on and captained both the 16u and 18u teams and having competed twice in the Junior Olympics.
He now plans on applying everything he has learned from his high school and SJX teams in the water polo program at Chapman University.
Ethan Akira Ho Ming Lau, 'Iolani HS, class of '19
Ethan is a proud alumni of the SJ Express water polo club. Growing up in Honolulu, Hawai’i, he was exposed to water polo from a young age as his father coached at ‘Iolani high school. He fell in love with the game and started playing at the age of 10.
Due to the lack of water polo opportunities in Hawaii, he was fortunate enough that Coach Sasha invited him to spend my summers with SJ Express to help the team qualify for JOs. That first year, they qualified for the Classic division while placing top 10 in the Bay Area. It was his first time playing JOs and it was such a memorable experience. After he graduated high school, he was lucky enough to be recruited to SJSU where Ihecompeted for the summer. Due to COVID-19, Ihewas unable to compete during the 2020 spring season through personal choice.
Currently he is at UC Irvine where he hopes to continue my career. He credits a lot of his player development to the outstanding coaches at SJ Express who allowed him to view the game from a different perspective while creating a positive environment to train. He is grateful for all of the opportunities SJ Express has given him. Aloha!
Ethan is a proud alumni of the SJ Express water polo club. Growing up in Honolulu, Hawai’i, he was exposed to water polo from a young age as his father coached at ‘Iolani high school. He fell in love with the game and started playing at the age of 10.
Due to the lack of water polo opportunities in Hawaii, he was fortunate enough that Coach Sasha invited him to spend my summers with SJ Express to help the team qualify for JOs. That first year, they qualified for the Classic division while placing top 10 in the Bay Area. It was his first time playing JOs and it was such a memorable experience. After he graduated high school, he was lucky enough to be recruited to SJSU where Ihecompeted for the summer. Due to COVID-19, Ihewas unable to compete during the 2020 spring season through personal choice.
Currently he is at UC Irvine where he hopes to continue my career. He credits a lot of his player development to the outstanding coaches at SJ Express who allowed him to view the game from a different perspective while creating a positive environment to train. He is grateful for all of the opportunities SJ Express has given him. Aloha!