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LOS ANGELES – UCLA head men's water polo coach Adam Wright has announced the hiring of Bret Lathrope to the post of assistant coach.

"Bret was an integral part of our program as a player," Wright said. "He played a vital role in changing the culture of our UCLA Men's Water Polo Program. As a player, Bret got to experience every high-pressure situation and environment our sport has to offer. He played in three national championship games and a lot of tournament and conference finals. These experiences have served him well as he made his transition to a coach. Bret has a clear understanding of where our student-athletes are both from a mental and physical standpoint and this is very important in the relationship that our staff has with our student-athletes. His knowledge not only of the sport of water polo but more importantly about how we operate as a program here at UCLA is a huge asset to our program."

Lathrope spent the 2018 season as the head coach of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) men's water polo team and led the Engineers to their ninth CWPA Division III Eastern Championship title in his only season. Lathrope was named the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Coach of the Year and as the USA Water Polo Monte Nitzkowski Distinguished National Men's Coach of the Year. Lathrope guided the Engineers to their first-ever NWPC Tournament win (defeated Iona College, 16-11) and saw two of his student-athletes take home AWCPC All-America honors. In addition to his head coaching duties at MIT, he also served as a physical education and wellness instructor.

"We are very fortunate to have Bret joining our staff as his experiences as a player at UCLA and playing abroad professionally coupled with his experiences as a coach will give him the ability to impact our program immediately," Wright added. "Bret has coached at the highest level and what he was able to do in a short time at MIT was very impressive. We are very lucky to have Bret back home here at UCLA."

Prior to being appointed as the head coach for MIT, Lathrope served as an assistant coach with the Engineers in 2017. From 2015-17, Lathrope was as an assistant coach with the Bucknell University men's and women's water polo teams. The former UCLA standout was also previously an assistant coach at UC Davis and played professionally in Spain for Agrupacio Esportiva Santa Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, in spring 2015.

A former member of the Junior National Team, National B Team, Polo National 20-and-Under Team, National Cadet Team and National Development Team, Lathrope was a four-year member of the UCLA squad that made three national championship game appearances during his tenure. Lathrope scored 56 goals in his career, including a career-high 19 as a junior in 2011 and again as a senior in 2012.
  
A product out of Miramonte High School in Moraga, Calif., he got his start in the coaching profession by serving as a coach of the Lamorinda Water Polo Club Boys 16-and-under team from December 2013 to August 2014. He then served as an assistant with the UC Davis men's program, helping the Aggies to a third-place finish in the Western Water Polo Association.

Lathrope graduated from UCLA in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in history.

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