• Home
  • Posts
  • Dunstan Makes Greenwich Aquatics Proud on Road to Rio

Dunstan Makes Greenwich Aquatics Proud on Road to Rio

thomasd-8-4
Thomas Dunstan fires a shot during a recent event. Dunstan, a constant presence at the Greenwich YMCA pool, will be representing Team USA Water Polo in the 2016 Rio Olympics. (photo courtesy of USA Water Polo)
Thomas Dunstan fires a shot during a recent event. Dunstan, a constant presence at the Greenwich YMCA pool, will be representing Team USA Water Polo in the 2016 Rio Olympics. (photo courtesy of USA Water Polo)

When 18-year-old Thomas Dunstan learned he had made the USA Men’s National Water Polo team, one of the first phone calls he made was across the country to his longtime water polo coach, Ulmis Iordache.

The Road to Rio first started for Dunstan at the young age of 10 when the Olympic-sized pool was opened in 2007 at the Greenwich YMCA.

There, it would be Iordache, the head water polo coach for Greenwich Aquatics, who would coach the left-handed attacker to be one of the best players for his age.

After moving to California to train full time with the USA National Team, Dunstan’s accomplishments are especially unique being the only east-coast raised athlete on the 13-man roster.

“Thomas has a lot of talent for his age and on top of that he really dedicated himself to the sport,” said his long time coach Iordache. “He practiced a lot, up to six times a week at the Y. I think it’s important that he is the first one from outside California at that level.”

In fact, Iordache says that Thomas is the first male athlete coming from outside of California or Hawaii to make the USA Water Polo Olympic Team in 20 years.

“Representing the US is such an honor, no matter where you come from,” said Dunstan. “Being from the East Coast might make the journey a bit more difficult, but it also makes it that much greater in the end. I think I owe a lot of it to the coaches who helped develop my love for the sport and who believed in me and my big dream when I was 10 years old.”

Iordache also coached Thomas’ two sisters Erin and Taylor at the Greenwich YMCA, who have played for the University of Richmond and Princeton University, respectively. 

“For the Greenwich Aquatics community, I would say that [Thomas] is the real proof that any 10-year-old kid can dream big and accomplish his achievements,” said Iordache.

For Kim Tierney Wang, helping launch the YMCA’s water polo program in 2007 has helped kids like Thomas get the recognition and practice they needed to make the jump to the next level, which she says almost always leads to the west coast.

She now coaches a 12U girls team and was just recently competing at a national competition in California.

“Seventy-five percent of the population playing water polo is from California,” said Tierney Wang. “But outside of California, Greenwich is the hub for it. People know Greenwich when we come out west.”

An All-American water polo player herself at Bucknell and for many other teams and clubs around the area, she says breaking the California stereotype is groundbreaking for the sport.

“Having Thomas on the men’s USA Water Polo team isn’t just big for our club and the Greenwich YMCA and the east coast, it’s big for all of the states outside of California. It’s a huge deal,” said Tierney Wang.

“He comes back at least once a month and one of the first places he goes is to the Y. This is a kid who is still a part of our club, which makes it really extra special,” she added.

A left-handed attacker, Dunstan is used on the left side of the pool on offense as his shots provide a different angle of attacking that balances the offense.

Dunstan says making the team is a dream come true, and that he’s looking forward to his first season at the collegiate level at USC.

“Right now I’m focusing on bringing back a medal from Rio,” said Dunstan. “I start my college season as soon as I get back and then the goal will be to win an NCAA championship. But for now I’m going for gold.”

Just having graduated from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., the 6-foot-4 athlete originally from New Canaan will be just one of two players on the roster to make the jump from high school graduate to a USA athlete at Rio.

“We’re all cheering for him,” said Tierney Wang. “He’s a lefty which is special. You need lefties on the left side of the pool. This is only the beginning for him. He’s got a long career ahead.”

Greenwich Aquatics coaches, players and alumni plan to watch Dunstan represent his country when the Men’s water polo games start on Saturday, August 6 when USA takes on Croatia all the way through to any anticipated medal games.

“It’s going to be very emotional,” said Iordache. “I really hope that he is able to score a couple of goals in the beginning and really show that he is one of the best in the world.”

The USA representative reflected on his days training in Greenwich and says he hopes his upcoming days in Rio can be inspirational to others watching.

“I know there’s probably another kid out there just like me who dreams of playing in the Olympics, and I want to show him that he can do it too,” Dunstan said. “I’ve always gotten so much support from the Greenwich community and I hope I can make them proud in Rio.”

Related Posts
Loading...