BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Technical Director and collegiate water polo referee Loren Bertocci, a beloved husband, father, educator, and lifelong athlete, passed away on October 17, following a 14-month battle with glioblastoma.
A graduate of Exeter Academy, who received a degree in Human Biology from Stanford University (1980) and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Washington State University (1986) prior to completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Advanced Radiological Physics at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center (1986-1989) , Bertocci most recently served as Director of the Exercise and Sport Science program at Marian University in Indianapolis, Ind., starting in July 2016.
The former Dean of Mathematics and Sciences at Marian from August 2007 to June 2016, he held a position as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Salem University in Salem, W.Va., from August 2004-to-August 2007.
As a dedicated educator, he took immense pride in mentoring his students, helping them realize their potential by setting high standards and offering encouragement.
Outside of his academic achievements, Loren was a devoted athlete who participated in various sports, including Masters Swimming, Olympic weightlifting and track & field at Stanford. His passion for fitness and competition remained a central part of his life, reflecting his deep commitment to health and athleticism.
First introduced to the sport of water polo in the early 1970s, Bertocci became a coach, referee and teacher, ultimately rising to one of the most prestigious positions in the sport as a FINA-certified referee. He wielded enormous influence as USA Water Polo’s first-ever National Referee Chair as well as Technical Director and head referee for the Collegiate Water Polo Association through the early 2000s. He mentored many of the game’s current crop of collegiate and international officials.
He was introduced to water polo during his first year at Stanford, initially playing intramurals and then club. A competitor for a club team during his graduate school term, he was a participant at the Olympic Festival tryouts.
During his post-doctoral fellowship in Dallas, he joined with a teammate from graduate school to initiate a club.
He officiated his inaugural senior international match in 1990 – Cuba vs. Australia, leading up to the Goodwill Games – and had already been assigned by USA Water Polo (USAWP) to be an American referee at the North American junior championships.
Having coached a club team to ninth place at Nationals and hosted a national championship, he served as a region chair and zone chair by 1990.
He remained involved until 2004 when he officially retired off the FINA list.
He concluded his tenure in the sport by spending a couple a more years as the national referee chair for USA Water Polo, shortly after representing USAWP as National Referee Chair at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal.
Following his international term, he created Water Polo Academy – a program to help teach referees in the United States via an online instruction paradigm which lasted until the end of 2011.
In honoring Loren’s memory, a Memorial Scholarship has been established to support student athletes pursuing a PhD in the sciences, a cause he felt strongly about in his final wishes. His family—wife Joan, and children Tori and Jason—are overseeing the GoFundMe campaign. Donations can be made by CLICKING HERE.
