Water Polo Shakes up Coaching Staff

Harvard women’s water polo ended its 2010 season with its second consecutive bid to the Eastern Championship—obviously, the Crimson’s formula was working.

But this season, the girls threw out the old and rebuilt the team from scratch with a brand new coaching staff.

Last summer, the Department of Athletics hired Ted Minnis to double as the head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams. Among other qualifications, Minnis served as head water polo and swimming coach at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, Calif. and was named the USA Water Polo Development Coach of the Year in 2007.

He led the men’s team to a 12-16 finish this fall and will look to build upon the success that the women had last season under Erik Farrar, who resigned in May.

The change was hardly the last, and the water polo coaching staff was restructured again midway through the men’s season when assistant coach Jessi Wood was added to the staff. For Wood, who coached with Minnis at Castilleja School for two years, the launch of the women’s water polo season marks her first full season coaching a Harvard squad.

“The changes have been wonderful,” junior attacker Monica Zdrojewski said. “It’s incredible to be able to play and love to play again. We’re getting so much done, learning so much and we’re meshing so well together as a team…thanks to the new coaches.”

Aside from the major changes at the top, the Crimson also added five freshmen to their lineup, and the Class of 2014 is already making an impact. On opening day, the freshman class scored a combined 18 goals in their first contest as collegiate athletes.

Although the adjustments are significant and the formula was reworked, Harvard’s undefeated season so far shows that change can be good.