Wright to Lead Men’s, Women’s Water Polo Teams
July 20, 2017 | Men's Water Polo, Women's Water Polo
Adam Wright, who coached the UCLA men's water polo team to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2014 and 2015, will now guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams, Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero announced today.
"UCLA Water Polo could not be in better hands," said Guerrero. "Adam's winning record as the men's coach speaks for itself, but just as impressive is the culture he is able to create through his exceptional leadership abilities, as well as his talent for helping student-athletes develop into well-rounded individuals. I fully expect both programs to thrive, individually and together, under Adam's oversight."
"I am extremely honored to serve as the head coach for both UCLA men's and women's water polo teams," said Wright. "It is an incredible opportunity to coach the most storied program in women's water polo. The foundation is already in place for both teams, and I am really looking forward to this new challenge."
Wright, who will enter his ninth season as men's coach, has an overall record of 206-33 (.862) and an MPSF mark of 50-10 (.833). From 2014-16, Wright's Bruins set an NCAA record with 57 consecutive victories and a conference record with 26 consecutive MPSF wins. Prior to becoming head coach of the men's program in 2009, he served as an assistant coach with the men's and women's teams during the 2008-09 school year, helping the women win an unprecedented fifth consecutive NCAA Championship in May 2009.
The 2014 and 2015 ACWPC Division I Coach of the Year, Wright has guided the Bruin men to three MPSF Tournament titles (2009, 2011, 2015), two NCAA titles (2014 and 2015) and three runner-up finishes at the NCAA Tournament in his eight seasons at the helm of the UCLA program. Under Wright's guidance, 52 players have secured ACWPC All-America honors, including 14 first-team honorees. He has also produced two 2016 USA Olympians in Josh Samuels and Alex Roelse, and coached Garrett Danner to the 2016 Cutino Award.
Wright's teams have been stellar in the classroom as well as the pool, earning perfect Academic Progress Rates (APR) scores of 1,000 in 2014 and 2015, all while winning the schools' 112th and 113th NCAA Championships.
Prior to his tenure as head coach, Wright was a four-year letterwinner at UCLA from 1997-2000, helping lead the Bruins to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1999 and 2000. He totaled 128 goals in his four seasons and was a two-time All-American. Following his collegiate career, he served as a key member on the USA National Team, participating in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. He helped lead Team USA to a seventh-place finish in 2004 (Athens) and to a silver medal in 2008 (Beijing). Wright continued training with the USA National Team while serving as UCLA's head coach and retired as a player after competing at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Wright got his coaching start as an assistant coach with the varsity boys and girls water polo teams at Wilson High School (Long Beach, Calif.) from 2001-04. He helped coach the boys program to four consecutive CIF Division I championships and Moore League titles and also guided the girl's team to two Moore League titles. Wright graduated from UCLA in 2001 with degrees in history and sociology.
Wright is the third coach in UCLA water polo history to coach both the men's and women's teams. The other two – Guy Baker and Adam Krikorian – are both in the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. While coaching both programs from 1995-2000, Baker won seven national titles (four with the women and three with the men). Krikorian coached both programs from 2000-09 and won a total of 11 national titles as head coach (eight women's championships and three men's championships).
