BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Harvard University men’s and women’s water polo head coach Ted Minnis adds another award to his resume as the Crimson’s coach was named the recipient of the 2016 Monte Nitzkowski Distinguished Men’s Coaching Award from USA Water Polo. Minnis was the recipient of the award for the Northeast zone earlier in the year, and was recently chosen by a panel to be the national selection for the award.
Minnis led the Crimson men’s water polo team in the Fall of 2016 to the best record in program history, its first conference title and the first-ever National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four appearance. He became the winningest coach in Harvard water polo history on the first day of the 2016 campaign, picking up his 100th career win in his seventh season at the helm of Harvard water polo. Minnis and the Crimson finished with an overall record of 27-7, pushing his total to 125 victories. He is also the all-time leader in wins for the women’s water polo program with 126 after helping guide the Crimson to a 15-14 record this spring.
Harvard men’s water polo recorded its third-straight season with 20-plus wins for the first time in school history and defeated a program-record 13 ranked opponents during the 2016 season. The Crimson won the first conference championship in school history, taking home the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Championship with tournament wins over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), then-No. 13 Princeton University and then-No. 10 Brown University.
Harvard then made its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance and went on to win two NCAA tournament games with victories over then-No. 12 Bucknell University and then-No. 9 University of California-Davis to earn a spot in the Final Four.
Established in 2010, USA Water polo’s annual awards are named in honor of a person or persons who have made an extraordinary contribution to the sport of water polo. Winners were chosen through a zone nomination process and then reviewed by a national selection panel.
The award is named for legendary coach Monte Nitzkowski who was synonymous with men’s water polo in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s serving as head coach of the Men’s Olympic Team in 1972, 1980 and 1984. He led Team USA to a bronze medal in 1972 and a silver medal in 1984. Nitzkowski also served as an assistant coach with the 1968 and 2000 Men’s Olympic Team.
The 2016 National Awards will be presented on July 26 in between Session 1 and 2 of the 2017 Junior Olympics.
Information courtesy Harvard Unviersity & USA Water Polo
