Jason Falitz - Men's Water Polo Coach

Photo by: UCLA Athletics

Jason Falitz

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
jfalitz@athletics.ucla.edu

Jason Falitz entered his 11th year with the men’s water polo program at UCLA in 2025 and his eighth as the Associate Head Coach. He reported to the post of Assistant Coach for the men's program in May of 2015, replacing Dustin Litvak, who assumed the head coaching duties for the boy’s water polo program at Agoura High School and is now the men's head water polo coach at Princeton. He was promoted on August 16, 2017 after Head Coach Adam Wright was also named the Head Coach of the UCLA women’s water polo program on July 20, 2017. Then in August of 2021, he was named the Associate Head Coach for the women's water polo program and will be in his fourth season at that post in 2025.

Falitz was named the 2023 Assistant (Associated Head) Coach of the Year as announced by the ACWPC on May 31, 2024. It marked the first time a Bruin has won this award.

Falitz won an NCAA title with the Bruins in his first year as UCLA went 30-0, defeating USC, 10-7, in the national championship game. He won his second championship in 2017 as UCLA defeated the Trojans at USC, 7-5. He won his third NCAA title (for the 2020 season) as the Bruins again defeated the Trojans at USC, 7-6, on March 21, 2021.

In addition to his duties at UCLA, Falitz is the Head Boy’s Coach and the 16U Coach for the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club, positions he has held since 2012. His 16U team had a top five finish at the National Junior Olympics in 2012 and was top four in 2013. The 16U team also finished second at the 2013 Ironman League Superfinals. In 2014, he earned the Bill Barnett Distinguished Men’s Coaching Award from the USA Water Polo Assembly.

He also served as the Head Boy’s Water Polo Coach at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., from 2012-14. He grew the program from 20 players to 50 in his three seasons and won the program’s first CIF Division I playoff victory in 2014.

Falitz has also coached in the collegiate world, serving as an assistant coach at Los Angeles Valley College from 2007-14, helping guide the Monarchs to the Western State Conference Championship in 2014.

He served one season (2012) as a volunteer assistant for UCLA Head Coach Adam Wright, coaching the Bruins’ Water Polo Club at the 2012 Fisher Cup. Most recently, he served in the same capacity for UC Davis Head Coach and former Bruin assistant, Daniel Leyson, during the 2014 campaign.

He spent five years (2007-11) as the Boy’s 18U Head Coach at the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club. He guided the team to back-to-back-to-back gold medals at the South Florida International Tournament (2009-11) and also guided them to a first place finish at the United State Club Championships in 2010.

Falitz had an extensive playing career, which began at John Burroughs High School. A four-year varsity starter, he was Burroughs’ single season record holder for goals (202) and was the school’s all-time career scoring leader with 455 goals. A two-time All-American and three-time All-CIF selection, he was named the Almont League MVP in 1999 and that same year was the Los Angeles Times and Daily News All-Area Player of the Year. He played club ball at Harvard Water Polo Foundation from 1997-2000 under former Olympic Coach Rich Corso.

He then went on to play at Long Beach State from 2000-02, redshirting the 2000 season. He would later play at Los Angeles Valley College in 2006 where he was named a two-time First Team All-American and the 2006 Western State Conference Player of the Year and the 2006 Los Angeles Valley College Male Athlete of the Year.