A relative newcomer to the sport, Van Zwaluwenburg has stepped into the role previously manned by his older brother, Zachary.

Mitchell, a 6-foot- 1 junior hole set, starred in the Timberwolves’ thrilling 13-12 double overtime win at West last Wednesday, Sept. 1. It was the season opener for Sierra, which only had three games last spring in a pandemic-shortened campaign.

Van Zwaluwenburg accounted for 10 of his team’s goals including equalizer and game winner in overtime. He said the match was an all-around good experience for the young team.

“Sierra is still pretty new to water polo so there hasn’t been too many close games,” he said. “It was really exhilarating and I love close games — it’s a lot more fun than blowouts. It was fun battling and giving everything until the last seconds of the game. For the new kids to experience that, it was a cool first match for the whole team.”

Unlike his older brother, Mitchell doesn’t have a background in competitive swimming. He is more into basketball and baseball, and in his freshman year he ran cross country. Last year, he took the opportunity to play water polo with Zach who was then a senior.

“My sophomore year I decided to play water polo because I saw my brother play it and I wanted to try it,” Van Zwaluwenburg said. “I enjoy it a lot. I like the physical aspect of it. I’m into the conditioning and workout part of it, and water polo is an insane workout. I love pushing my body.”

Sierra is back in action tonight against visiting Tracy. The girls begin play at 5 p.m. with the boys following at 6.