Michigan
Maize & Blue Exhibition
Schulz, Wolverines Set to Bring Michigan Water Polo Home to Grand Rapids
10/9/2026 8:59:00 PM | Water Polo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- When Abby Schulz was growing up in Grand Rapids, she never had the opportunity to watch the University of Michigan water polo team compete at her high school. On Sunday (Oct. 18), the Wolverine junior will return to East Grand Rapids High School, this time as a Division I student-athlete hoping to inspire the next generation of players.
Schulz and her Michigan teammates will travel to West Michigan for a three-day visit beginning Saturday (Oct. 17), highlighted by a youth clinic and the program's annual Maize and Blue intrasquad exhibition. The weekend also will include community service and professional development opportunities.
For Schulz, bringing Michigan water polo back to the community where she discovered the sport carries special significance.
"It means a lot to me. Water polo is not the biggest sport in West Michigan or Michigan in general, so I'm really excited to have the opportunity to showcase what a high-level water polo game looks like," Schulz said. "As well as just another opportunity to showcase women in sport in my hometown."
The Wolverines' visit will feature a two-hour clinic led by head coach Chris Vidale and assistant coaches Maddie O'Reilly and Sami Tai, with all 24 Michigan student-athletes participating. The clinic, scheduled for 2:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, is open to boys and girls ages 14-18 and will offer hands-on instruction in fundamentals, shooting techniques and defensive skills. Registration is limited to 75 participants.
The clinic will be followed by Michigan's annual intrasquad exhibition at 5 p.m. Traditionally held at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, the event will take place at East Grand Rapids High School, giving local fans an opportunity to see the Wolverines in action. The exhibition also serves as an early opportunity for Michigan's student-athletes to put their preparation into practice ahead of the collegiate season.
For Schulz, who has previously coached young athletes in her hometown, the weekend also presents a chance to reconnect with familiar faces and encourage others to explore opportunities in the sport.
Her own path to Michigan began in the swimming pool. After growing up as a competitive swimmer, Schulz followed her brother, who played water polo in middle and high school, into the sport. The transition was not immediate.
"I didn't love it at first," she said. "But I'm a very competitive person, and I was very competitive with myself, and I wanted to learn how to get better and try new things."
That determination eventually developed into a passion for water polo. As Schulz progressed, she began seeking opportunities beyond Michigan, regularly traveling to California during the summers to train in a region where the sport has a much larger presence.
Those experiences helped shape her journey to Division I water polo, but they also gave her an appreciation for the challenges facing athletes who grow up outside the sport's traditional strongholds.
Now, Schulz hopes to show young players in West Michigan that their location does not have to limit their ambitions.
"[My teammates and I] can relate to the difficulties of being recruited from outside of where water polo is really bred, which is California, and so I'm really excited for them to come back and really pour into those athletes and inspire them that they can do the same," she said. "I'm really excited for the conversation that we'll be able to have with the athletes at the clinic before and after our exhibition game or during the clinic, about what really is possible. You need to believe in yourself, and I think that will really inspire the girls that are on my team right now to kind of open their, you know, like horizons to all that is possible."
That message is especially important to Schulz, who understands how much exposure to collegiate athletes can mean to young players still discovering their potential.
"I think about the younger version of myself and how excited I would have been if the Michigan water polo team was coming to play at my high school, and I would get to see them play live right there," she said.
Beyond demonstrating the skills required to compete at the Division I level, Schulz believes the Wolverines can offer something equally valuable: a firsthand look at the team's culture.
"I think just by watching our team, you can see that the culture that we breed, the enthusiasm we bring to the pool deck, is contagious," she said. "The Team, The Team, The Team. It's one of our biggest slogans. And I think that as a program, we are really trying to embody that motto."
Growth Beyond the Pool
The weekend will also give Michigan's student-athletes opportunities to grow away from competition. Career exploration, networking and community service activities will encourage the Wolverines to build relationships, consider their futures and develop skills that extend beyond athletics.
For Schulz, those experiences reinforce a lesson she has learned throughout her athletic career: growth often begins with a willingness to try something unfamiliar.
"We're preached [to] that as student athletes, sport isn't forever, but it teaches you so much," she said. "Sport is not just important, obviously, for your physical and mental well-being, but it also teaches you all these different things that are really good lessons to carry on, and will just make you a more well-rounded and whole person."
Schulz also sees the weekend's professional development opportunities as a chance for her teammates to step outside their comfort zones, make connections and explore career paths they may not have previously considered.
"I think a lot of times we've kind of lost the idea of human interaction in person. So this career, that's a really good opportunity to meet with other people, have face-to-face conversation, learn how to network, learn about different career aspirations," Schulz said. "Some people are probably going to leave Grand Rapids with a totally different idea of maybe something that they want to try out or want to look further into career-wise."
For Schulz, however, the greatest reward may come from the impact the Wolverines leave on the young athletes watching from the stands or working alongside them in the pool.
Years after discovering water polo in Grand Rapids, she returns to her former high school as a Division I student-athlete with an opportunity to show others where the sport can take them.
Whether those young athletes eventually pursue collegiate water polo or simply leave with renewed confidence in their own abilities, Schulz hopes the experience encourages them to keep challenging themselves and exploring new possibilities.
Clinic and Exhibition Information
Michigan's Wolverine Water Polo Clinic will take place Sunday (Oct. 18) from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at East Grand Rapids High School (2211 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506), with check-in beginning at 2 p.m. The clinic is open to boys and girls ages 14-18, with registration limited to 75 participants. The cost is $118.78, including fees. For more information or to register, visit the Wolverine Water Polo Clinic website.
Fans can get their first look at this season's Wolverines during the Maize and Blue intrasquad exhibition Sunday at 5 p.m. Admission is $10.
