BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA)/Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)/Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) officiating bureaus will undergo some changes during the 2024-25 academic year with longtime referee Michael Goldenberg assuming the role of varsity officiating assignor per Commissioner Dan Sharadin.
The change comes about following the decision of CWPA Coordinator of Officials Education Ed Reed to hand off varsity officiating assignment duties starting with the 2024 men’s varsity season. Michael Francis will continue in his role as the collegiate club officiating assignor.
Goldenberg will handle assignments for all varsity contests at all CWPA/MAWPC/NWPC and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) institutions in addition to serving as a conduit for the recruitment, management and support of the varsity officiating ranks.
Goldenberg called the Gold Medal match at the 2019 World Championships and the men’s Gold Medal match at the 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The recipient of the 2022 Bret Bernard National Referee Award (Elite) from USA Water Polo, he officiated collegiate competition from 1993-to-2024 and has called conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships Finals. He became an international referee (FINA) in 2003 and officiated Gold Medal games on a variety of levels around the globe while also serving as the Head Coach/Administrator with South Florida Water Polo Club and the Head Coach of the Boys Team at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, both located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A CWPA Hall of Fame member/former Brown University men’s swimming and water polo coach/former University of Alabama Aquatics Director/swimming and water polo head coach, Reed retains his duties to create educational content, perform evaluations and review video for the Technical Committee.
Appointed as the collegiate club officiating assignor in August 2023, Francis remains responsible for the assignment of all CWPA men’s and women’s club events in both league and non-league competition; ensuring communications are disseminated appropriately to the collegiate club officials; weekly communications with the head officials regarding their responsibilities; and weekly communications with all club officials. Further, he aids in the recruitment/development of club level officials.
Questions and correspondence regarding varsity officiating assignments should be addressed to Goldenberg at michaelgoldenberg1@gmail.com, while collegiate club officiating assignment business can be addressed to Francis wpref59@gmail.com. Reed can be reached at edswimpolo@charter.net.
