BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Coordinator of Officials Ed Reed added another National Championship in the 75-79 men’s age group to his collection and that of Crimson Tide Masters Swimming (CTMS) by tying Tony Ralphs for first place in the 200-Meter Freestyle (2:43.44) after finishing second in the 200-Meter Breaststroke (3:38.30) to conclude the 2019 United States Masters Swimming Summer Nationals at the Marguerite Aquatic Center in Mission Viejo, Calif.
Reed started out his third and final day of competition by touching the wall in 3:38.30 to finish behind Mike Freshley (3:33.76) in the 200 Breaststroke. Seeded second in the event with a time of 3:30.77, Reed notched his fourth runner-up finish of the weekend as he concluded competition with a pair of National Championships and four second place marks.
In the final men’s event, Reed and Ralphs both touched the wall in 2:43.44 to tie for first place in the 200 Freestyle. Reed entered the event with the top seed time of 2:38.21.
The 200 Freestyle title marks his second crown of the weekend as he took the 400-Meter Individual Medley in 7:08.56 to defeat runner-up Freshley (7:34.17) via a 25.61 seconds gap on Friday, August 9. Reed’s finish was slightly off his seed time of 7:01.55.
In addition, he added a second place mark in the 50-Meter Breaststroke on August 9 as he touched the wall in 41.66, but was edged out by Peter Andersen who claimed the event in 41.57. Reed’s time was over six seconds faster than his seed time of 47.71.
On Saturday, August 10, he entered the 200-Meter Individual Medley seeded third at 3:10.23 and finished behind Richard Burns (2:57.56) in a time of 3:16.74 to earn another runner-up finish.
He wrapped up his second day of competition in the 400-Meter Freestyle (5:54.26) by placing second behind Ralphs (5:49.68) to notch another runner-up spot. Reed entered the 400 Freestyle with the top seed time (5:47.21).
Overall, his pair of National Championships and four second place marks generated 57 points (11 for a solo win, 10 for a co-National Championship, 9 for each runner-up placement) as the lone swimmer for Crimson Tide Masters Swimming. The club finished in a tie with Texas Ford Aquatics Masters for 49th among 216 teams in the final men’s club standings, but Texas Ford had two swimmers competing compared to Reed’s solo efforts.
Only one other individual in all men’s age-groups generated as many points as Reed as the Florida Aquatic Combined Team finished 44th in the men’s team standings with 64 points thanks to John Cornell who earned five First Place finishes and a runner-up spot in the 90-94 age group.
Overall, Crimson Tide Masters Swimming placed 83rd among 216 teams when men’s and women’s team scores were combined in all age groups (18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90-94, 95-99) as Reed’s 57 points total proved better than 133 intergender clubs.
About Ed Reed: A 2003 inductee to the CWPA Hall of Fame, Ed Reed began his coaching tenure at Brown University in 1971 when he was named head coach of the men’s varsity swim team and club water polo team. In 1974, the men’s water polo team achieved varsity status as he built the program into an East Coast powerhouse.
Reed never experienced a losing season at Brown, compiling a career record of 420-159-5 in 20 years at the helm. In fact, during a nearly five-year span in the 1980’s his Brown squad did not lose a game against an eastern collegiate opponent. He led the Bears to 17-consecutive New England Championships and four Eastern Championships, including three straight from 1983-85, and a record ten Eastern Championship final appearances. Under Reed, the team made eleven NCAA tournament appearances, finishing sixth in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
Under Reed, Brown accomplished a pair of eastern collegiate water polo firsts. The 1984 squad finished the season with a #6 ranking in the American Water Polo Coaches’ Association poll, the best ever for a school from the east. The Bears’ 1986 home victory over 4th-ranked Pepperdine constituted the first time an east coast school defeated a top five nationally ranked team.
Seventeen student-athletes earned All-America honors while playing for Reed at Brown. He received Eastern Water Polo League Coach of the Year honors in 1987 and 1989. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1986, the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 and the United States Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1999.
He also contributed to the sport on the national level, serving on the coaching staff of the United States Men’s National Water Polo Team from 1993-96. He worked with the 1995 U.S. squad that won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Argentina and was an assistant coach for the seventh-place U.S. team at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. He was also elected President of the American Water Polo Coaches Association and served on several committees for United States Water Polo.
Reed was a two-time All-America as a swimmer at Springfield College, winning the 1965 New England Intercollegiate Championship in the 200 meter individual medley. He started his coaching career at Tufts University in 1966.
He retired in the spring of 2008 as the Aquatic Center Manager for the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but continues to give back to the sport of water polo as a referee evaluator as part of the CWPA Technical Committee and as the league’s Coordinator of Officials.
He and his wife Andy reside in Tuscaloosa and have two children, Scott and Kerrie. Scott is the head coach of the Macalester College women’s water polo team, carrying on the family water polo tradition, after serving as the head coach of the men’s and women’s programs at George Washington University.
