BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Austin College men’s and women’s head coach Mark Lawrence will discuss “Offensive Fundamentals” during the second 2025-26 “Coaches Corner” webinar presented by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).
The presentation is available on Microsoft Teams at 8:00 p.m. Eastern/5:00 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, October 1, by CLICKING HERE with a meeting ID of 219 535 847 760 7 and a passcode of: gk26mG2i
The presentation has a purpose to help teams have the resources & confidence to run productive practices and manage their programs throughout their season.
All presentations are open for collegiate club, varsity, fans, officials and the general public to view at no cost.
An archive of the prior Coaches Corner discussions is available on the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) website by CLICKING HERE.
About Mark Lawrence: Mark Lawrence has been the Austin College men’s and women’s water polo coach since the inception of both programs, as the Kangaroos became the first pair of water polo teams in Texas in more than 40 years. During his time in Sherman, Lawrence has continued to build each program into a strong contender in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III ranks, with both squads already earning national rankings.
PLAYING CAREER:
– Two-year starter for Ohlone Junior College, Fremont, Calif., 1999-2000
– Ohlone Junior College Male Athlete of the Year 1999-2000
– Two-year career with Queens College, Flushing Meadows, N.Y. 2001-2002
– Starter on Queens College NCAA Final Four Appearance 2002
– In 2002 Queens College finished third at the Final Four and was the only non-Calif. program to finish top three at NCAA Championship
– Played on the USA East Coast National Team in the USA Water Polo Premier League 2001-2002
– Played for the Brisbane Breakers in the Australian National Water Polo League 2005-2006
COACHING CAREER:
2008-2009: Graduate Assistant Coach Arizona State University
2011: Assistant Coach for Kazakhstan Women’s National Team
– Coached at the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai China
2011-2012: Head Coach Men’s Water Polo at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
– 9 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic Selections
– Finish top in the NCAA for Team Grade Point Average
– 5 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) All-Conference Selections
– CWPA Rookie of the Year 2012 (Kale Rogers)
– Both years finished in NCAA DIII Top 5 (2012 #2), and DI Top 20 (2012 #20)
2013-2014: Assistant Coach Men’s and Women’s Water Polo at Brown University
– 4 ACWPC All-America Selections
– 27 ACWPC All-Academic Selections
– 4 CWPA All-Conference Selections
– Men’s Water Polo: #2 Team GPA in NCAA
– Finished both the Men’s and Women’s season in the DI Top 20 (Men’s #15 / Women’s #20)
2014-2017 USA Water Polo Boys Head Coach: Northeast Zone Olympic Development Program
2014-2017: Assistant Coach Men’s Water Polo United States Naval Academy
– 2 ACWPC All America Selections
– 14 ACWPC All-Academic Selections
– 4 CWPA / MAWPC All Conference Selections
– 2x Finishing in the NCAA DI Top 20 (2014 #14 / 2015 #15)
2017-Present: Head Coach Men’s and Women’s Water Polo at Austin College
– 13 ACWPC All-America Selections
– 64 ACWPC All-Academic Selections
– 10 MPSF / CWPA All Conference Selections
– 21 MPSF / CWPA Weekly Honors
– Women’s Water Polo finished in the National Top 10 three times in its first four seasons
– 2021 and 2022 CWPA Women’s Division III Champions
– 2022 USA Water Polo National Collegiate Division III Final Four Third Place Finisher
– Andrew Pope 2018-2019 Austin College Tim Jubela Male Freshman Athlete of the Year
– Lexi Wong 2018-2019 Austin College Tim Jubela Female Freshman Athlete of the Year
– Madison Taylor 2021 CWPA Conference Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP)
– Sophie Oliver 2021 CWPA Division III MVP
– Brooke Le 2021 CWPA Division III MVP
– Sophie Oliver 2021 Austin College Gene Day Award for Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year
– Sammi Thiele 2022 Austin College Gene Day Award for Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year
2017-2018: USA Water Polo Assistant Coach Boys USA Development National Team
COACHING AWARDS:
– 2014 USA Water Polo ODP Top Coach
– 2016 USA Water Polo Bill Barnett Distinguished Coach Award
– 2018 USA Water Polo Monte Nitzkowski Distinguished Coach Award
– 2019 and 2021 CWPA Conference Championship Coach of the Year
– 2021 and 2022 CWPA Division III Coach of the Year
