On The Move: Changes Galore for 2019 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Season

No. 1 USC Takes First Defeat Of 2019 In 9-8 Overtime Loss To No. 2 Stanford.

In a week Marko Pintaric (left)—seen here with Casey Moon—will lead the USC men into battle as head coach for the first time. Photo Courtesy: John McGillen

In a little more than a week the 2019 men’s water polo season will open. The service academies—with the USAFA Invitational and the Navy Invitational—as well as the Bruno Classic at Brown highlight the start of NCAA play next weekend.

Before all that action begins, Swimming World complied the various moves and retirements that set the stage for a new season.

Chris Radmonvich, who four years ago started men’s water polo at Wagner College and for nine years was the Seahawks’ head women’s coach, has stepped down. Assistant Ciaran Wolohan was elevated to Interim Head Men’s and Women’s Water Polo Coach for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Brett Lathrope, who in a year at MIT guided the Engineers to a respectable 10-13 record and earned 2018 Northeast Water Polo Conference Coach of the Year honors, left Cambridge for the sunny shores of Los Angeles. Next weekend he will be on the deck in Annapolis as an assistant to Adam Wright as part of the UCLA men’s program.

Moving into the vacant MIT job is Austin Ringheim. Formerly an assistant to Mark Lawrence at Austin College, the one-time Whittier player helped the Poets to the 2014 NCAA men’s tournament as a player.

Coaches won’t have Bob Corb to kick around anymore—and the sport is poorer for that! Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne

Ottawa University in Arizona has a new men’s and women’s polo program. Austen Ramer, who played for Cal Baptist University and was head coach for the boys and girls programs at Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California, will lead the Spirit into their inaugural match on September 7th at the Air Force Tournament.

Marko Pintaric, who for 18 years was an assistant men’s coach at USC, will coach his first match as the Trojans’ head coach on Saturday, September 14th when USC faces Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the Inland Empire Invitational. He is replacing Jovan Vavic, who last March was fired after 25 years as the program’s head men’s and women’s coach.

Ryan Castle, let go as head coach for Indiana women’s head coach, has resurfaced in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he will be the head women’s coach for Carthage College, replacing Laura Coffman.

After five years as an assistant coach to Carin Crawford, San Diego State women’s coach, and 16 years as the voice of Aztec water polo, Bill Cohn has stepped down. He will continue his role announcing UC San Diego men’s water polo, a position he has held for the past 28 years.

It was announced last May, but after a decade as NCAA National Coordinator of Water Polo Officials, Bob Corb has retired. Starting this fall Amber Drury will oversee referees for NCAA men’s and the women’s competition.

[On The Record with Bob Corb, NCAA National Coordinator of Water Polo Officials]

Djordje Stanic, a standout in his first year at St. Francis Brooklyn, has transferred to University of Pacific, where he will join a deep Tiger line-up.

Another East to West Coast transfer is Jasmin Kolasinac. Wagner’s career leading scorer—the program is just four years old—left after compiling 203 goals over his freshman and sophomore years. He will now be playing for Kirk Everist and Cal—and contending for a national championship.

Danny Roland has taken up residence in the UC Santa Barbara cage. Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne

Quinten Osborne moved down the coast, leaving UCLA to join former Huntington Beach High School teammate Garrett Zaan at Long Beach State. Also packing up and heading to the 49ers: Ethan Wojciechowski—like Osborne and Zaan a Huntington grad—who left Cal to re-join his Oiler teammates.

Danny Roland, who as a freshman played behind Alex Wolf at UCLA, has made the move from the Bruins to the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara. Slipping into Roland’s spot as back-up to the Tokyo-bound Wolf is Sam Krutonog, who was buried on the USC bench after freshman Nic Porter’s amazing run in the 2018 NCAA men’s tournament.

With reporting from Water Polo Planet.

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Jay

4 years ago

Ethan W and Quinten Osborne were both dismissed from their respective programs.

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Michael Randazzo

4 years ago

Reply to Jay

I literally just heard that this morning. BUT, I’m not sure what this means about their water polo ability? Is it that they WON’T be great additions to the 49ers? OR, are you suggesting that Coach Arroyo—who I’ve heard is a fantastic coach—would bring in troublemakers?

I suppose they could fail out of LBS—though I suspect the curriculum there is not as rigorous as UCLA or Cal. Or, perhaps they REALLY want to play for Arroyo, join their Oiler teammate (can you tell I love that nickname?) and win ANOTHER Golden Coast title?

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