The first impression of senior attacker Millie Quin depends on the setting.
Outside the water, Quin is a wallflower — someone who seeks to avoid attention, who shies away from conversation and generally prefers isolation.
But once she enters the water, she transforms into an imposing figure. From quiet to commanding. From demure to dominant. From a soft soul to a fierce competitor.
"She's a bit of a psycho," Petra Pardi, head coach of ASU water polo, said.
That persona, that "psycho," has produced a Sun Devil water polo legend. It's the mentality that's cultivated one of the greatest resumes in program history.
With two regular season games remaining and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships still to come, she's already wearing the crown as the most prolific offensive weapon in school history.
She sits at 364 career points, breaking the record set by Addison McGrath in 2009. Quin's 268 career goals clear the previous high of 252 set by Luca Petovary in 2024.
McGrath and Petovary set their marks in four seasons. Quin changed the ASU record books in three.
This season alone, Quin's scored 106 goals, the second-most in a single season in program history. She's 17 goals shy of breaking the record set by Petovary, her former teammate, in 2024.
But Quin's best season as a Sun Devil wasn't aimed at the record books. Personal accolades don't move the New Zealand native. She's on a different mission.
The postseason.
Playing in maybe the most daunting conference in college water polo, the Sun Devils haven't made the NCAA tournament since 2021. But with Quin leading, this might be the year.
The Sun Devils, ranked No. 6 in the nation behind conference foes Stanford, UCLA, USC and Cal, are on the heels of the traditional powers. Their conference typically gets four teams in the tournament, which means the Sun Devils will have to knock out one of their vaunted rivals.
"This team and what we've been able to build over my last three years has been super special," Quin said. "So, whilst (the accolades are) cool, I obviously am thinking about the team and what it is that I need to do and bring to the team so that we can accomplish our goals."
And to think, this season almost didn't happen. At least, Quin thought it was in jeopardy.
During her preparation with New Zealand for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, she felt pain in her right knee. At the time, she chalked it up to symptoms of a dislocation she suffered during her sophomore season at ASU.
When the championships finished, however, further testing revealed the true cause. Quin tore her meniscus. She had surgery on Aug. 25, returning to action in early December.
Plenty of time for doubt to creep in.
"'Am I going to get back?'" Quin said, recalling the questions that raced through her mind. "'Am I going to be the same as I was before?'"
The doubt was Quin's alone. Those who know her always knew she wouldn't miss a beat. By the time the Sun Devils began their schedule, she was already in peak form.
The Sun Devils opened the season with five games over two days in the Malmsten Invitational at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Quin scored 25 goals as ASU opened 5-0.
Quin looked more dominant than ever after her injury.
"It made me all the more determined and motivated to get back so I could prove to myself that I'm still me," Quin said.
In a full-circle moment, the MPSF Championships — and the path to the NCAA Tournament — will be at the Spieker Aquatics Complex at UC Berkeley, where Quin started her collegiate journey.
When she arrived at Cal as a freshman, they tasked her with a role she'd never played. The Golden Bears had a significant gap in the center of their defense. She went from creating goals to stopping them.
At the end of the season, she decided it was in her best interest to return to an attacking role, where she felt her creativity could shine.
When looking for a new home, Quin connected with Pardi. Pardi had previously attempted to recruit her before her season at Cal. Once given a second chance, she knew she had to make it count.
"When I started talking to Petra, I had a great connection with her," Quin said. "She's an incredible coach, and I wouldn't have been able to do any of the stuff I've done at ASU without her support."
It all adds significance to a journey that began when she was six months old in Tauranga, New Zealand, where Quin learned how to swim. She started playing water polo at nine, following her father's footsteps, and quickly became a sensation, making her debut for the New Zealand Senior National Team at 17.
It became her sanctuary. Everything goes quiet as soon as she enters the water. The "psycho" emerges. Her focus sharpens.
"There are people who are brilliant water polo players, but they're choppy in the water," Pardi said. "It looks like they are fighting the water, and Millie is just like the most graceful swan on top of the water."
Playing alongside Petovary in her sophomore year, Quin got to see firsthand what it took to be elite. The main lesson from Petovary was how to lead, as it's in Quin's nature to be reserved.
But as a senior, the expectation's changed. Her significance to the team forced her to find her voice.
"It's been definitely a transition for her," Petovary said. "I think last year, it was a perfect year for her to get comfortable, or at least learn the things of how to speak up in front of the team, and what are the moments when she needs to."
That leadership has seen a team consisting of nine freshmen staring at a real chance at nationals, and Quin understands she won't be able to achieve that mission by herself.
"It takes a village," Quin said. "It takes everyone. I give them my full credit. I would not be in this position without the coaches, without Petra, without the girls."
And the Sun Devils wouldn't be on the cusp of breaking their NCAA Tournament drought without Quin: the most prolific scorer ASU women's water polo has known.
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at jakobarnarsson@gmail.com.
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