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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA)/Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)/Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) mourn the passing of McKendree University men’s and women’s water polo head coach Colleen Lischwe on Wednesday, January 15.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we learned of the tragic news that Colleen was killed in an auto accident yesterday morning,” noted CWPA Commissioner Dan Sharadin.

“Colleen was an incredible gift to the water polo coaching community and had a lasting impact on the athletes she coached. I enjoyed working with her during the years McKendree was part of our conference and continued to follow her success after they merged into the WWPA (Western Water Polo Association). She was always willing to give back to those in the sport and was scheduled as one of our educational speakers in the next few weeks. We will miss her greatly and my prayers are with her family and team at this time.”

Plans to honor Lischwe’s memory and legacy will be shared in the coming days per a release by McKendree.

A GoFundMe site was established to help her husband, Casey, and three-year-old daughter with donations accepted by CLICKING HERE.

A beloved member of the McKendree community, known for her unwavering dedication to her student-athletes and commitment to fostering an environment of growth, excellence and leadership, Lischwe, “embodied what it means to be a servant leader and cherished her opportunities to teach and develop young men and women. She was a close friend and colleague to many, and helped to create the special bond that exists within the McKendree community,” per a statement from McKendree.

Lischwe’s involvement with the Bearcats’ water polo programs dates back to the earliest days of the varsity program.

After serving as the program’s graduate assistant coach in its inaugural year, she was named the head coach for the women’s water polo program in February 2017 and assumed leadership of the men’s program in June of 2018.

The only female head coach of a men’s NCAA water polo program when she assumed the role, she helped lead McKendree to rank among the best Division II programs on both the collegiate club and varsity levels during her tenure in Lebanon, Ill.

On the women’s side, in her first season with McKendree, Lischwe was selected as the 2017 CWPA Midwest Division Collegiate Club Coach of the Year. She took over the reins of the program as head coach in February 2017 and led the Bearcats to their first Midwest Division Championship match.

The following season, Lischwe lead the Bearcats to a 9-16 record and a Seventh Place finish at the 2018 WWPA Championship in the program’s season as a varsity team.   She also coached Emily Westlove to the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America honors during the team’s first season in the varsity ranks.

In 2019, Lischwe helped the Bearcats to an 11-15 record and a Ninth Place mark in the WWPA. Prior to the start of the 2020 season, Lischwe was awarded the Sandy Nitta Distinguished Coaching Award by USA Water Polo for her work developing women’s water polo at the collegiate level.

In 2020, McKendree went 4-10 before the season was upended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early March and in 2021, the team posted a 2-7 mark in another abbreviated campaign.

The 2022 team won a school record 16 games and finished with a 16-7 overall record, which was the program’s first-ever winning record, while taking Fourth Place at the WWPA Championship. The team had three WWPA All-Conference selections and Sydney Kane was named to the WWPA All-Freshman Team.

In 2023, the Bearcats went 17-9 with a Fifth Place finish at the WWPA Championship to help Abigail Burton and Jaleh Moaddeli earn All-America accolades.  Most recently, she steered the team to a Fourth Place at the WWPA Championship, a 14-11 mark and an All-America achievement for Joey Rebelo in 2024.

Her success was equaled with the men’s team.

After serving as assistant coach to the men’s program for its first two seasons, Lischwe became head coach of the team in June 2018 and delivered the team’s most successful season in program history as the squad claimed its first winning season with a 15-13 record. During her first season at the helm, Lischwe earned the 2018 Coach of the Year Award at the CWPA Division II Championships hosted in Lebanon, Ill., and was presented with the Dick Russell Coach of the Year Award at the 2018 MAWPC-West Conference Championship hosted at the Hallman Aquatics Center in Erie, Pa .

At the MAWPC-West Championship, she helped the Bearcats top Washington & Jefferson College (18-8 W), snap a 20-game winning streak by Gannon University (12-9 W) and clip Salem University (13-12 W) to take the team’s first championship in the program’s inaugural MAWPC-West Championship appearance.  In addition, she coached Joseph Mahan to earn the program’s first men’s All-America award.

At the MAWPC Championship hosted by Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y., Lischwe guided McKendree to a Seventh Place finish versus predominantly Division I competition as the squad faced George Washington University (16-6 L), Johns Hopkins University (18-6 L) and La Salle University (15-7 W).

The 2018 Monte Nitzkowski Distinguished Coaching Award for the Midwest Zone by USA Water Polo, she helped McKendree take Third Place at the 2019 CWPA Division II Championship and finish second at the MAWPC-West Championship (15-14 L to Gannon) to wrap-up the year with an 11-5 mark to accompany All-America honors for both Mahan and Matthew Haygood.

During the 2020/2021 season  – which was contested during the Winter of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – she led the Bearcats to their second MAWPC-West Championship as the team topped Washington & Jefferson College (26-9 W), Mercyhurst University (15-9 W) and Gannon (21-8 W) to cap off a 7-0 season.  For her performance, Lischwe was recognized by her peers with honors as the MAWPC-West Championship Coach of the Tournament, while Haygood was named the Player of the Tournament and repeated as an All-America selection.

McKendree’s 2021 men’s team went 11-9 overall and was 4-0 in the MAWPC-West Division to repeat as the regular season champion. At the MAWPC Tournament, the Bearcats finished as the runners-up to Gannon (15-13 L) and had five All-Conference selections to go along with a pair of All-America nods for Uros Pelemis and Michael Rojas.

In 2022, the team went 8-19, took Third Place at the CWPA Division II Championship and garnered a Seventh Place finish at the MAWPC Championship hosted by Fordham as the Bearcats faced Gannon (16-11 W), Fordham (15-6 L), Wagner College (15-14 L OT) and Johns Hopkins (13-8 W).  Three McKendree athletes earned All-America nods as the conclusion of the campaign as Breno Tebet, Josh Carlson and Nico Rodriguez claimed laurels.

Prior to the 2023 season, McKendree joined with Salem, Mercyhurst and Gannon to join the Division II WWPA.

During the team’s inaugural season in the WWPA, the squad finished 9-14 with a Fourth Place finish at home during the league championship tournament prior to Tebet repeating on the ACWPC All-America list. 

This past fall, the Bearcats posted a 2-18 mark and a Sixth Place finish at the WWPA Championship.  Yannick Robertson received All-America notice for his efforts during the 2024 season.

As a player, Lischwe had a successful high school and college playing career. Named Missouri High School Female Player of the Year from 2005-2007, Lischwe was named to numerous All-Conference and All-District teams.

Following her high school career, Lischwe starred at Marist College.  As a starter and successful player for the Red Foxes, the attacker helped lead the team two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships with Eighth (2008) and Seventh (2009) Place finishes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.

The recipient of a Master of Business Administration from McKendree in 2018, she served as the head water polo coach at Kirkwood High School in St. Louis prior to joining the McKendree staff.  Additionally, Lischwe acted as the Midwest Zone Women’s Cadet Coach for from 2010-2016 through the USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Program and returned to the role in 2019.  In addition to her collegiate coaching duties, Colleen also coached both the boy’s and girl’s groups at St. Louis Area Polo.

Collegiate Water Polo Association