Being a Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience main is a feat by itself, however Riley Hull has not stopped there. The Villanova sophomore is not only on one varsity roster, however two. In the autumn, she competes on the Swimming and Diving staff, and within the spring semester, she performs as an attacker for the ladies’s Water Polo staff.
The California native is clearly captivated with swimming, as she competes in two aquatic sports activities at a Division I degree. Hull was taking part in each sports activities competitively by the point she was seven, and commenced swimming on the age of 5. Hull recollects swimming higher than she might stroll as a toddler.
“Learning how to eggbeater and having the endurance to do it for so long is just really important.” Hull stated. “A lot of the time, when I was really young, I would play the splash ball version of it, where you can stand on the ground on the bottom of the pool.”
Water polo shouldn’t be a standard sport present in elementary and center colleges, even in California.
However, her dad and mom wished her to be a extra well-rounded athlete, so Hull determined to provide a land sport a strive. During her first two years at Helix Charter in La Mesa, CA, Hull was a three-season athlete.
“I decided to try field hockey, and that was really fun,” Hull stated. “I’m really grateful for those two years. It was a fun team to be on, and I learned a lot about just kind of how to be on a team and what other sports are like.”
Ultimately, she realized her ardour was nonetheless within the water. Throughout highschool, she would have swim follow within the morning, water polo for Helix within the afternoon after which La Jolla United membership staff later within the night.
She would do this 5 days per week, together with meets and tournaments on the weekend. Hull by no means had to decide on which follow to attend, however when it got here to competitions, she would contemplate the logistics. A big regional swim meet was price lacking a small water polo recreation.
Hull finally graduated as Valedictorian of her highschool class and Water Polo Player of the League in 2024. She at present nonetheless holds the Helix Charter college file for many targets in a single season with 119.
Both sports activities have been extremely necessary to Hull, so she knew that selecting one was not an choice. Hull started looking for schools that may let her pursue each of her passions. Many stated no, however Villanova answered her needs.
“The more I thought about it, you know, the more it just made sense to allow her to do that,”girls’s water polo head coach Michael Gordon stated. “It really helps her conditioning level, helps her fitness level, and then obviously helps the swim team out as well.”
Gordon realized her dedication to out-work her rivals and tenacity to steer by instance. He provided her a spot on the staff and he or she rapidly dedicated.
“The way that she trains and her approach to the game, it made it really clear that she was a player that I really wanted to have at Villanova,” Gordon stated.
Gordon then helped Hull get involved with Swim and Dive coach, Rick Simpson.
“I could never pursue both of my greatest passions without them, and I’m so grateful for them allowing me to just be able to do what I love here,” Hull stated. “It just feels so special to be the bridge that connects the two and to just have so many teammates and loving friends.”
Coming off her inaugural season, Hull was named the MAC Rookie of the Year for water polo, and in addition recorded private bests in 1000 free and 1650 free this previous swim season.
“It definitely inspires teammates to work as hard, try to work as hard as her,” Gordon stated.
“It’s hard to work as hard as her, as hard as she does.”
Water Polo is coming off a stellar weekend after defeating Siena, Iona and Mount St. Mary’s. Hull and her teammates are set to play within the MAAC Championship Tournament beginning on April 11 in Poughkeepsie, NY.