DAVIS, Calif. — Former Indiana University athlete and assistant coach Kandace Waldthaler has been selected as the Coach Jamey Wright & Hodgens Family Director of Women’s Water Polo at the University of California-Davis.
“Kandace (Waldthaler) has been an instrumental part of our women’s water polo program here at UC Davis and we are excited to see her build upon Coach (Jamey) Wright’s legacy,” said Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca, while thanking Senior Associate Athletic Director Josh Flushman for leading the search and advisory committee. “As an emerging leader within the national program and with strong support from our alumnae, we’re excited to see the Aggies excel under her leadership.”
Waldthaler succeeds Wright after serving on his staff for the past 12 seasons, the first seven as an assistant coach and the last five as associate head coach. She has been instrumental in cementing the inclusive and high performance culture the program has enjoyed under Wright. Most recently, Waldthaler joined the national team staff as an assistant coach for the Senior National “B” Team.
“I am super excited and honored to be the next head coach of the UC Davis Women’s Water Polo program,” Waldthaler said. “I have enjoyed coaching at UC Davis the past 12 years and I am thrilled to continue to elevate and build on the legacy of Jamey Wright’s 25 years with the program. I want to thank Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca and Senior Associate Athletic Director Josh Flushman for the opportunity to lead this program. Go Ags!”
The Aggies have enjoyed eight winning seasons, 19 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America nods and 41 All-Big West honors during Waldthaler’s time at UC Davis. The team has seen multiple ACWPC All-Academic honorees in every year of her tenure, including eight or more five times (2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021) with two team (2012, 2018) awards.
Waldthaler was previously a four-year assistant at Indiana, where she also received her undergraduate degree in exercise science and her master’s in applied sports science in 2009.
Her ties to UC Davis began before her return as an assistant coach in 2010 though. Waldthaler served as a coach at Sierra Water Polo Club in 2004 and then with Davis Water Polo Club in 2005, the latter solidifying her ties to Aggie greats like Wright and Steve Doten.
As a player, Waldthaler earned Junior College All-America honors and a conference Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at Sierra College before beginning her two-year career at Indiana. She was an All-America selection in 2005 with the Hoosiers and earned American Water Polo Coaches Association All-Academic Superior accolades during both her years in Bloomington. As a senior, Waldthaler led the Hoosiers with 55 goals, 55 drawn exclusions, five four-meter penalty shots and nine hat tricks to capture ACWPC All-America Third Team distinction.
In January 2011, Waldthaler was inducted into the Sierra College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Release courtesy University of California-Davis Athletics Communications
