University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Adam Wright
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
Wright Named UniUSA Male Coach of the Year
April 29, 2026 | Men's Water Polo, Women's Water Polo
UCLA's Adam Wright has been named the 2025 UniUSA Male Coach of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday as part of its inaugural Gary Cunningham award series. Wright led Team USA, made up entirely of Bruins, to silver medals in both men's and women's water polo at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games.
This award honors the most impactful coach in both men's and women's sports, recognizing their vital role in fostering unity, strategic excellence, athletic development, and success on the global stage. These coaches embody the values of both FISU and UniUSA, serving not only as leaders in performance but also as mentors who inspire character, resilience, and personal growth in their athletes.
UniUSA is the official representative and governing body for the United States in all FISU events: Winter and Summer Universiades (World University Games), World University Championships, University World Cups and FISU America Games. Cunningham, who was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 for his on-and-off-court successes with the men's basketball program, was president of the United States International University Sports Federation. Former UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero assumed the role in 2020.
The men's medal was Team USA's 10th overall and first since 2019. The women's one was Team USA's third all time and first since 2017. Bode Brinkema led the Americans with 17 goals across six games. Goalkeeper Nate Tauscher turned away a tournament-high 74 shots. On the women's side, Katherine O'Dea scored a team-high 10 goals over six games. Lauren Steele starred in the cage, finishing second in saves (69), second in save percentage (62.2%), first in penalty stops (41.7%) and tied for first in steals (seven).
COACH WRIGHT ON THE AWARD: "Receiving the inaugural UniUSA Gary Cunningham Men's Coach Award is truly humbling. Gary is a UCLA Legend but more importantly he is an incredible human being and a dear friend. The credit goes to my staff Kyle Boal, Nico Tierney, Matt Kubeck and Alleah Gogley for being committed to ensuring our team was in a position to be their best when their best was needed. There absolutely no way we place both of our teams in the gold medal matches without REAL TEAM BEHIND THE TEAMS BTI who made our lives so much easier and allowed our staff to focus on our preparation. More specifically I would like to thank Dan Guerrero the head of the USA Delegation, Nels Hawkinson and David Knoop for their unwavering support. Lastly to the players as we just follow their lead. They were all in from the very beginning and kept their focus, drive and passion throughout this process."
This award honors the most impactful coach in both men's and women's sports, recognizing their vital role in fostering unity, strategic excellence, athletic development, and success on the global stage. These coaches embody the values of both FISU and UniUSA, serving not only as leaders in performance but also as mentors who inspire character, resilience, and personal growth in their athletes.
UniUSA is the official representative and governing body for the United States in all FISU events: Winter and Summer Universiades (World University Games), World University Championships, University World Cups and FISU America Games. Cunningham, who was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 for his on-and-off-court successes with the men's basketball program, was president of the United States International University Sports Federation. Former UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero assumed the role in 2020.
The men's medal was Team USA's 10th overall and first since 2019. The women's one was Team USA's third all time and first since 2017. Bode Brinkema led the Americans with 17 goals across six games. Goalkeeper Nate Tauscher turned away a tournament-high 74 shots. On the women's side, Katherine O'Dea scored a team-high 10 goals over six games. Lauren Steele starred in the cage, finishing second in saves (69), second in save percentage (62.2%), first in penalty stops (41.7%) and tied for first in steals (seven).
COACH WRIGHT ON THE AWARD: "Receiving the inaugural UniUSA Gary Cunningham Men's Coach Award is truly humbling. Gary is a UCLA Legend but more importantly he is an incredible human being and a dear friend. The credit goes to my staff Kyle Boal, Nico Tierney, Matt Kubeck and Alleah Gogley for being committed to ensuring our team was in a position to be their best when their best was needed. There absolutely no way we place both of our teams in the gold medal matches without REAL TEAM BEHIND THE TEAMS BTI who made our lives so much easier and allowed our staff to focus on our preparation. More specifically I would like to thank Dan Guerrero the head of the USA Delegation, Nels Hawkinson and David Knoop for their unwavering support. Lastly to the players as we just follow their lead. They were all in from the very beginning and kept their focus, drive and passion throughout this process."
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
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