BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) PoloCAST Podcast with George Gross returns to its normal bi-weekly schedule this week as Connecticut College men’s and women’s water polo coach/former University of Michigan women’s coach Matt Anderson talks about his experiences on the Division III and Division I levels.
The continuation of a series which has previously featured former United States Naval Academy head coach/official/Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member Mike Schofield (September 22), Harvard University men’s and women’s head coach Ted Minnis (October 6), George Washington University men’s and women’s/former Indiana University women’s head coach Barry King (October 20), former Hartwick College women’s head coach/current United States Air Force Academy assistant coach Alan Huckins (November 3), Fordham University associate/former head coach Bill Harris (November 17) and special Thanksgiving week episode with podcast host/former Team Canada goalie Gross (November 24), the interview with Anderson highlights his time coaching the Wolverines and the Camels to the top of the league standings.
Slated for release on Tuesday, December 1, the bi-weekly podcast is available on the league website, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.
A series highlighting some of the game’s best minds and athletes over the past 50+ years, the podcast features CWPA Hall of Fame member Gross talking about the game – but also the life of the individual to provide listeners with more than just an X’s and O’s conversation.
New episodes are released on the first and third Tuesday of every month with some bonus episodes coming up during the holidays.
Follow the entire series by CLICKING HERE.
About Matt Anderson: Matt Anderson recently completed his sixth season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams at Connecticut College in 2019-20.
Anderson has made an immediate impact on both programs and has brought them to new heights. The women’s team has advanced to the CWPA Championship match three times, capturing the league crown twice in 2015 and 2017, while the men’s program has set school records for most wins in a four-year span three consecutive times. The Class of 2018 won 24 matches, and the two succeeding classes registered 26 and 30 victories, respectively, in their careers, respectively. The women’s program also boasted the second-highest grade point average in the nation for all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) divisions in 2015.
Furthermore, Anderson has mentored a combined eight women’s Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America and 11 All-America Honorable Mention selections over the last six years. Kelsey Millward ’16 most notably made the ACWPC All-America First Team as well as the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Women’s At-Large Third Team during her senior year. Meanwhile, the men’s program has produced two All-America selections and an additional seven All-America Honorable Mention winners.
Prior to his arrival at Connecticut College, Anderson served as the head coach of the women’s water polo program at the University of Michigan for 12 years. He led the Wolverines to four NCAA Tournament appearances and was named the CWPA Western Division Coach of the Year six times. The program also racked up 332 wins and 10 division titles while producing 27 All-Americans, including USA Olympic goalie Betsy Armstrong, during his tenure.
Anderson’s success as a coach, which included stints at his alma mater, San Jose State University, and Indiana University, extends beyond the college level. His experiences include 11 years of coaching high school programs in California. On the scholastic level, he was the head coach of boys and girls water polo and swimming at Santa Clara High School, Newbury Park High School, and Los Gatos High School. At the national level, Anderson was an assistant coach for United States Men’s Water Polo for the national junior, youth, and cadet team between 1999 and 2009. In addition, he won a silver medal at the 2011 World University Games as the head coach of the United States Women’s Senior National B Team. The veteran mentor served as the head coach of the United States Women’s National B Team from 2010-12.
Anderson has also been heavily involved with the sport at the national administrative level and is currently the chair of the NCAA Water Polo Rules Committee. He is also chairing the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship Committee beginning in the 2018-19 academic year after previous serving as the chair of the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship Committee. Anderson is the only person to have served as the chair for all three of the NCAA’s water polo committees.
A 1991 graduate of San Jose State and native of San Diego, Anderson also teaches physical education classes at Connecticut College. He currently resides in the New London, Conn., area with his wife, Tara, son, Everett, and daughter, Eden.
