{"id":325361,"date":"2018-08-12T07:53:13","date_gmt":"2018-08-12T14:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=325361"},"modified":"2018-08-16T07:26:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T14:26:16","slug":"2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Polo Round-Up: 2018 NCAA Men\u2019s Season On The Horizon"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2018 NCAA men\u2019s season begins next month, with reigning NCAA champion UCLA opening play on September 1 with a match against Fresno Pacific at Spieker Aquatic Center.<\/p>\n

Starting next week, Swimming World<\/em> will preview the six conferences that will send teams to the NCAA men\u2019s tournament. Before diving into a new season, there\u2019s a fair amount of news to catch up with, including player and coaches moves as well as updates from the recently completed<\/a> Junior Olympics at Stanford University.<\/p>\n

\"UCLA_celebrates_DEC17\"

Remember this? NCAA varsity season coming soon! Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne<\/p><\/div>\n

Closing the books on the 2018 JOs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Junior Olympics are an obvious magnet for college coaches and 2018 was no exception. Among the many men\u2019s and women\u2019s head coaches at Avery Aquatic Center were Cal\u2019s Kirk Everist<\/strong>, Harvard\u2019s Ted Minnis<\/strong>, Indiana\u2019s Ryan Castle<\/strong>, Iona\u2019s Brian Kelly<\/strong>, Navy’s Luis Nicolao<\/strong>, Virginia Military Institute\u2019s Ryan Pryor<\/strong>, Princeton\u2019s Dustin Litvak<\/strong> and Derek Ellingson<\/strong>. Also on hand were John Vargas<\/strong>, head coach for Stanford men\u2019s team, and John Tanner<\/strong>, the Cardinal\u2019s women\u2019s head coach. Their team\u2019s home pool hosted all eight days of tournament action.<\/p>\n

Even though his team\u2019s season is many months away Chris Vidale<\/strong>, head coach for the Marist women\u2019s program, was excited by all he saw while out in California.<\/p>\n

– What do JOs mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s fun to see kids develop\u2014when they have a good day or bad day. It\u2019s also fun from the college perspective; watching these kids succeed. Picking out what things you think are good for your program.<\/em><\/p>\n

– What did you hope to accomplish out here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have some kids that I\u2019ve been talking to that I really like. I\u2019m hoping they\u2019ll come to visit and see if they like Marist. This is where you\u2019ve got to go shopping! You might find some diamonds in the rough.\u00a0<\/em>If you want to be competitive in such a grass roots sports, this is where you have to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"huckins-hartwick-apr18_REV\"

Allan Huckins. Photo Courtesy: Gerry Raymonda<\/p><\/div>\n

Another Eastern stalwart took in the action but from a new perspective. Alan Huckins, <\/strong>formerly Head Coach at Hartwick College<\/a>, is now an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy. He spoke to Swimming World<\/em> about coaching changes in the service academies, where his new boss Ryan Brown<\/strong> takes over from Jeff Heidmous<\/strong>, and old friend and rival Luis Nicolao ended up back at the U.S. Naval Academy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve known Louie since we were ten; we swam on rival swim teams, went to rival high schools. I played at Slippery Rock when he was at Navy, I coached Hartwick when he was at Princeton. <\/em><\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s me and Louie again\u2014Air Force, Navy.<\/em><\/p>\n

– There\u2019s higher bar for admission at the Air Force Academy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely. It takes a different type of person\u2014definitely those with discipline. The [Air Force] Academy offers so many great experiences that once students give it a shot, it may be something that really interests them.<\/em><\/p>\n

– Getting back to NCAAs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ryan\u2019s taking over after being there for seven years. We\u2019re bringing in some new thinking to rejuvenate the program. We made NCAAs three or four years ago and we\u2019re looking to get back.<\/em><\/p>\n

Swimming World<\/em> also ran into old friend James Smith<\/strong> of Total Water Polo<\/a>. Smith\u2014as always\u2014had something to say; about the youth action on display in Avery (his 12U Boys team finished 11th in the Classic Division) and polo’s future in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

– How did your team do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was fun to see them react to this kind of environment. This is the best water polo setting in the country, and they got to play at Stanford.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne<\/p><\/div>\n

– What will it take to grow the sport in Austin, the Texas capital?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The chances of UT Austin starting a water polo team on the [NCAA] varsity level is about the same as me winning the Miss America contest\u2014which is zero!<\/em><\/p>\n

I know [the university] has been solicited and they\u2019ve replied with a very terse: \u201cNo thank you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s going to be growth at the university or college level in Texas it\u2019s going to be like Austin College. It will be Southwest College [or] Trinity College. These are smaller schools that can afford to have both men and women\u2019s polo programs, and hopefully create a bit of gravity in the state of Texas.<\/em><\/p>\n

Austin College<\/a> is going to have trouble finding competition; the closest is McKendree [600 miles away]. Mark Lawrence<\/strong> is a guy who\u2019s spent time on both the East and West Coasts; he\u2019s [prepared to] fly to both coast but how long is that sustainable?<\/em><\/p>\n

Is the coaching carousel completed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nicolao made the biggest splash<\/a> in the coaching ranks, jumping ship at Princeton\u2014where over two decades he compiled a stellar 868-316 (.733) record coaching both men and women\u2014to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a star performer for the Middies.<\/p>\n

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Dustin Litvak. Photo Courtesy: UCLA Athletics<\/p><\/div>\n

This led to the most noteworthy hire<\/a> for the coming season:\u00a0Dustin Litvak<\/strong>. The California native\u2014recently a top assistant at UCLA\u2014took Princeton up on an offer to coach their men\u2019s team; it turned out to be a two-for-one arrangement. Not only will Litvak lead one of the East\u2019s most prestigious programs, he\u2019ll also be an assistant coach to Derek Ellingson<\/strong>, recently named as the head women\u2019s coach for the Tigers.<\/p>\n

Another Northeast Water Polo Conference team that experienced coaching turnover was MIT, where head coach Dave Andriole<\/strong> resigned following a disappointing 2017 season.\u00a0\u00a0Stepping into the Engineers\u2019 coaching void<\/a> is top assistant Bret Lathrope<\/strong>, like Litvak a product of Adam Wright\u2019s<\/strong> program at UCLA that has produced NCAA men\u2019s titles three of the past four years.<\/p>\n

Coach Wright, following an extended training session in Europe, responded by email about how UCLA’s success extends East through Lathrope and Litvak.<\/p>\n

It’s my job to put my past players and\/or assistant coaches in a position to become head coaches. I am very happy for both Dusty and Bret and believe this is a big win for the East Coast. Their experiences as both players and coaches at the highest level will no doubt serve both of their programs well.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My hope is that they will give their student athletes the confidence and understanding that they can achieve anything they want whether in the water or outside the water\u2014especially when their college experience is over.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two years after inaugurating men’s and women’s programs under the direction of Paul Macht<\/strong>, LaSalle University was on the hunt for new leadership\u2014and found their man in California. Earlier this month,\u00a0Tom Hyham<\/strong>\u2014with over 30 years of experience in the sport including the last seven as a club coach in Southern California\u2014was named<\/a> to lead the Explorers’ men\u2019s and women\u2019s polo teams. Hyham has got his work cut out for him; while the men have made steady improvement, the LaSalle women have won exactly one match in two years (1-34).<\/p>\n

Looking further west, Jeff Heidmous’<\/strong> departure<\/a> after 25 seasons and 328 victories at the Air Force Academy, the most in program history, gave his top assistant a shot at the head coaching job. Ryan Brown wisely snapped up Huckins; both will work to return the Falcons to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012.<\/p>\n

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Chris Oeding, Lazar Andric, David Kasa. Photo Courtesy: LBCC<\/p><\/div>\n

Also changing coaches was Whittier College. The Poets crafted the right message<\/a> to woo David Kasa<\/strong> as a replacement for Justin Pudwill<\/strong>, who resigned from the head men and women\u2019s coaching positions after 11 season that included a school record 339 wins and four NCAA berths (men; 2013, 2014; women; 2015, 2016). Kasa spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach at Long Beach City College; a couple of notable players that he coached are Lazar Andric<\/strong>, who went on to great success at Cal (national title in 2016; now an assistant coach) and Sasa Branisavljevic<\/strong><\/a>, the head coach of Vanguard Aquatics, one of the country\u2019s most successful age group programs.<\/p>\n

McKendree, which last year<\/a> played its first-ever men\u2019s varsity match, is already on a new coach in Year Two. Ryan Hall<\/strong>\u2014who departed last spring for an assistant position at Redlands, his alma mater\u2014put his assistant, Colleen <\/strong>Lischwe<\/strong><\/a>, in position to be one of the few women in NCAA varsity athletics to be head coach of a men\u2019s program. Lischwe is also Head Coach for Bearcats\u2019 women\u2019s polo, which in their inaugural season finished seventh (out of eight teams) in the Western Water Polo Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"queens-logo\"<\/p>\n

A first-year coach will take the reins for men\u2019s and women\u2019s water at Austin College. Mark Lawrence, one-time head coach at MIT as well as an assistant under Felix Mercado<\/strong> at Brown as well as Nicolao at the Naval Academy, will be charged with the important task of building an NCAA varsity program in the heart of the country\u2019s most promising region for polo growth.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Lawrence played polo at Queens College<\/a> in New York City for Princeton\u2019s Ellingson\u2014before the school dropped varsity status for the sport in 2011.<\/p>\n

Where is polo water bluest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s been the usual volatility of player transfers, led by the departure of Sawyer Rhodes<\/strong> from Stanford for the (apparently) greener pastures of University of Southern California, where the lefty will push Thomas Dunstan<\/strong> on the Trojan depth chart. While not unprecedented, the transfer is also addition by subtraction, as MPSF rival Stanford loses an important piece prior to a season when the Cardinal are slated to host the NCAA men\u2019s tournament\u2014an event that Stanford has missed out on the past three years.<\/p>\n

There are of course many significant freshmen washing into the pools at programs all over the country; one noteworthy newcomer is Hannes Daube<\/strong>, who will begin his USC college career in a week (school for Trojans begin on August 22).<\/p>\n

\"Hannes

Hannes Daube. Photo Courtesy: USA Water Polo<\/p><\/div>\n

Swimming World<\/em> got to speak with Daube at JOs, where his Cozy Boys team captured a 9-7 decision<\/a> over Stanford Water Polo Club.<\/p>\n

I have a lot of work to put in and I know the guys on that team as well. My sister [Elke] went there [2011-14] and I know the Trojan tradition is strong\u2014I can\u2019t wait to represent USC.<\/em><\/p>\n

– Playing with national teammate Marko Vavic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Marko] is one of my best friends and we work really well together. We’ve been playing together for a while now. He definitely has a bright future\u2014and hopefully we do well together.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jake Pearson<\/strong> of Ransom Everglades in Miami, was another rising freshman at the 2018 JOs. Ticketed for John\u2019s Hopkins men\u2019s team this fall, Pearson was excited to get going with a new experience, albeit on the East Coast in Baltimore, MD.<\/p>\n

\"farmer_NCAA17\"

Matt Farmer. Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne<\/p><\/div>\n

Also on the move\u2014from Australia to Italy by way of Illinois, is Matt Farmer<\/strong>. The one-time UCLA standout will continue his passion for water polo, signing a professional contract to play for\u00a0Circolo Canottieri Ortigia<\/a>, a First Division club in Sicily. Farmer starts his adventure on August 22nd in Southern Italy; Nikola Vavic<\/strong>\u2014part of four NCAA title winners during a stellar USC career (2010-13)\u2014will continue his playing career with a professional contract in Northern Italy for Sporting Club Quinto<\/a> in Genoa, also known as the home city of Pro Recco<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor The 2018 NCAA men\u2019s season begins next month, with reigning NCAA champion UCLA opening play on September 1 with a match against Fresno Pacific<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4875,"featured_media":322903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[383,10988,65800,60190,60671,70217,66063,70213,416,68946,63407,66899,63429,1317,479,63328,66124,7060,68346,21323,60672,70214,62606,47052,60192,47850,61159,68949,58023,63347,61118,66304,67318,70216,60272,60622,27247,70326,70215,1309,61959,63503,1401],"class_list":["post-325361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-water-polo","tag-adam-wright","tag-air-force-academy","tag-alan-huckins","tag-brian-kelly","tag-chris-vidale","tag-circolo-canottieri-ortigia","tag-colleen-lischwe","tag-david-kasa","tag-derek-ellingson","tag-dustin-litvak","tag-felix-mercado","tag-hannes-daube","tag-jeff-heidmous","tag-john-tanner","tag-john-vargas","tag-johns-hopkins-water-polo","tag-justin-pudwill","tag-kirk-everist","tag-lazar-andric","tag-luis-nicolao","tag-marist-water-polo","tag-mark-lawrence","tag-marko-vavic","tag-matt-farmer","tag-michael-randazzo","tag-nikola-vavic","tag-princeton-water-polo","tag-queens-college-water-polo","tag-ryan-castle","tag-ryan-hall","tag-ryan-pryor","tag-sasa-branisavljevic","tag-sawyer-rhodes","tag-sporting-club-quinto","tag-stanford-water-polo","tag-ted-minnis","tag-thomas-dunstan","tag-tom-hyham","tag-total-water-polo","tag-u-s-naval-academy","tag-ucla-water-polo","tag-usc-water-polo","tag-western-water-polo-association"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nWater Polo Round-Up: 2018 NCAA Men\u2019s Season On The Horizon - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Water Polo Round-Up: 2018 NCAA Men\u2019s Season On The Horizon\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor The 2018 NCAA men\u2019s season begins next month, with reigning NCAA champion UCLA opening play on September 1 with a match against Fresno Pacific\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-12T14:53:13+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-08-16T14:26:16+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tumpet-jos-jul18.jpeg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Randazzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb\"},\"headline\":\"Water Polo Round-Up: 2018 NCAA Men\u2019s Season On The Horizon\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-12T14:53:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-08-16T14:26:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/\"},\"wordCount\":2003,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tumpet-jos-jul18.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Adam Wright\",\"Air Force Academy\",\"Alan Huckins\",\"Brian Kelly\",\"Chris Vidale\",\"Circolo Canottieri Ortigia\",\"Colleen Lischwe\",\"David Kasa\",\"Derek Ellingson\",\"Dustin Litvak\",\"Felix Mercado\",\"Hannes Daube\",\"Jeff Heidmous\",\"John Tanner\",\"John Vargas\",\"Johns Hopkins Water Polo\",\"Justin Pudwill\",\"Kirk Everist\",\"Lazar Andric\",\"Luis Nicolao\",\"Marist Water Polo\",\"Mark Lawrence\",\"Marko Vavic\",\"Matt Farmer\",\"Michael Randazzo\",\"Nikola Vavic\",\"Princeton Water Polo\",\"Queens College Water Polo\",\"Ryan Castle\",\"Ryan Hall\",\"Ryan Pryor\",\"Sasa Branisavljevic\",\"Sawyer Rhodes\",\"Sporting Club Quinto\",\"Stanford Water Polo\",\"Ted Minnis\",\"Thomas Dunstan\",\"Tom Hyham\",\"Total Water Polo\",\"U.S. Naval Academy\",\"UCLA Water Polo\",\"USC Water Polo\",\"Western Water Polo Association\"],\"articleSection\":[\"-Home Slider\",\"Water Polo\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2018-ncaa-mens-season-on-the-horizon\/\",\"name\":\"Water Polo Round-Up: 2018 NCAA Men\u2019s Season On The Horizon - 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