On Oct. 12, Harvard history was made in Blodgett Pool by water polo player James Rozolis-Hill ’26 as he scored his 283rd career goal in a home game against Brown. By the end of the first quarter, Harvard had already secured a 4-2 lead, and Rozolis-Hill had broken the record for all-time career goals in program history.
Water polo has been a central aspect of Rozolis-Hill’s life since childhood; it was the only sport he played growing up, fostering a deep passion for the game. Rozolis Hill’s love for water polo is one he shares with his family, specifically his father and sister, who both play. His family continues to be crucial in his water polo career, and Rozolis-Hill’s mother and sister were even in the stands when he broke the all-time scoring record. He has felt immense gratitude for their unwavering support. ‘‘My family’s honestly my rock, so they help me through everything.’’
As a native of Orange County, California, Rozolis-Hill began his training at the Huntington Beach Water Polo Club at the age of six. By eight, he joined Vanguard Aquatics, a highly competitive and rapidly growing water polo club in the nearby area, and stayed with them until college. ‘‘I was really fortunate to stay at one club my whole life,’’ he said. Throughout these years at Vanguard, Rozolis-Hill’s exceptional talent shone. With his club, Rozolis-Hill became a four-time gold medalist in the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics from 2013-2016, and then again in 2018.
In addition to these remarkable achievements outside of school, Rozolis-Hill’s high school record is also impressive: he was crowned the MVP of the team in 2021 after an incredible season that saw his team advance to the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Water Polo finals. This was only the second time in school history a team had advanced this far. Rozolis-Hill looks back on these years fondly and humbly, recalling it as a time marked by camaraderie and shared success. ‘‘My high school team was very good, we had a lot of talent…and we were really fortunate: we won a lot,’’ he reflected. ‘‘I wouldn’t say any one thing stands out from high school, rather that I got to spend a lot of time with my best friends, who all ended up going to Division I schools.’’
Given his impressive high school record, Rozolis-Hill was highly sought after as a college recruit. Rozolis-Hill accredited his journey to Harvard to the Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach, Ted Minnis. Having been recruited during COVID-19, a tumultuous time where official school visits were few and far between, Rozolis-Hill admitted he was initially somewhat undecided as to whether he should stay in California to play at Stanford University or venture to the East Coast to play at Harvard. Ultimately, the deciding factor between the two was the personal relationship he built with Minnis. ‘‘Ted did one of the best jobs with the recruiting process compared to all the schools that I was talking to. I don’t think a week went by where I didn’t text or have a phone call with him.’’
Since coming to Harvard, Rozolis-Hill has flourished. In his freshman year, Rozolis-Hill started off strong with five goals in his collegiate debut against Fordham; he went on to score an impressive 123 goals throughout the season, breaking the single-season program record. His season-long performance led to him being named the Northeast Water Polo Conference Rookie of the Year, among other achievements. Rozolis-Hill sustained this level of performance throughout his sophomore season, scoring a total of 109 goals and making the Cutino Award Watchlist for the second year in a row. The Cutino Award is a prestigious water polo commendation that recognizes the best collegiate water polo players in the country.
Rozolis-Hill’s near-perfect record has continued into his junior year, and his recent incredible performance is only a singular example of this. During this historic game against Brown, Rozolis-Hill broke the record with two early goals in the first quarter. He then played with composure for the rest of the game and scored five additional goals to help secure an 18-10 victory. “I broke [the record] in the first quarter, so all my stress went away. I [broke the record] on a shot I practiced probably 1000 times as well, so it was cool that it was one of those shots,” he reflected. “It was just an unbelievable, unbelievable moment to break a record in my junior year early.”
Despite his already record-breaking achievements, Rozolis-Hill continues to have high aspirations for his future water polo career. “I want to win the Cutino Award as well, which is basically the Heisman for water polo. I’ve been on the watch list for the past three years, it just came out, and I was on it again, and I want to win that. I just want to show it’s hard for an East Coast person to win it, but if we win our conference and make a run at NCAA, I think I put myself in a good position to do so.” As he undoubtedly continues to break records in the future, Rozolis-Hill will leave a legacy at Harvard that will be remembered for years to come. Reflecting on this feat, he feels lucky that he will be able to be “a small part of the history at Harvard, [and to] have my name in the record books forever.”
Rozolis-Hill’s recent achievement has cemented his status as a dominant force in collegiate water polo, earning him a lasting reputation on the East Coast to match his already well-established name in California. In spite of this incredible track record, Rozolis-Hill remains a humble and grounded athlete and continues to acknowledge the role his family, friends, and coach have played in his success. Rozolis-Hill’s latest achievement is unprecedented, and having already broken the record for career goals scored early on in his junior year, his future looks exceptionally bright, with the Cutino Award on the horizon. It’s safe to say in addition to remembering Rozolis-Hill’s name in the record books, Harvard can look forward to watching one of their incredible athletes excel in the future.
Will Grayken ’28 (wgrayken@college.harvard.edu) writes Sports for the second time in a row, despite being completely athletically inept.