USA Water Polo Names Jovan Vavic Interim Head Coach of Men’s Senior National Team

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, November 20. USA Water Polo has appointed Jovan Vavic interim head coach of the USA Men's Senior National Team, effective immediately, according to Christopher Ramsey, Chief Executive Officer. Vavic, head water polo coach at the University of Southern California, has led the Trojans to ten NCAA water polo national championships, including four consecutive men's titles. A ten-time national coach of the year, Vavic has compiled a career .859 winning percentage coaching the USC men.

Vavic will be joined on his interim staff by UCI men's water polo head coach Marc Hunt and USC head assistant coach Marko Pintaric, who will serve as assistant coaches. Hunt led the USA Water Polo World University Games team to a fourth place finish in 2011, while Pintaric has been an assistant coach at USC for the last 12 years.

In addition to primary assistant coaches, Stanford men's water polo head coach John Vargas will anchor satellite training for the team in the Northern California area. Vargas was USA Water Polo's national team coach from 1997-2000. He will be assisted by James Lathrop, current USA Water Polo Men's Junior National Team coach and head men's coach at Miramonte High School. Jack Kocur, former head coach at Pepperdine University, will serve as video scout and Rick McKee will serve as team manager.

“Jovan Vavic is a proven winner,” said Ramsey. “His work ethic and attention to detail is exceptional, and he will be a tremendous leader for our men's national team. We have also worked to assemble a staff that reflects the strengths of our federation as well as our college and high school systems. We want to work hard together and bring honor to our country, and I am confident that this group will provide exactly that result.”

“I am honored that USA Water Polo, along with Chris Ramsey, has given me this opportunity. USA Water Polo has a long and proud tradition, and its talented teams have won three medals in the last two Olympic Games. We have great potential here in the United States with some of the best young water polo players in the world. I am excited to work together with these coaches and athletes to create a powerful and successful team that will make USA Water Polo proud.” said Vavic.

The team selected by Vavic will represent the USA at the Union Americana de Natacion (UANA) World Championship Qualification Tournament in Calgary, Canada, January 28th to February 2nd. The United States men did not qualify for the FINA 2013 World Championships at the London Olympic Games, and therefore must compete against teams from at least Canada and Brazil to gain a berth. The FINA World Championships are being held this summer in Barcelona, Spain.

After the qualification event, USA Water Polo will appoint a men's national team head coach for the remainder of the Olympic quadrennial, who will start new training and selection for the upcoming FINA World League and World Championship events.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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