NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona College men’s and women’s water polo coach Brian Kelly recently announced the addition of James Wolff to the Gaels’ coaching staff.
Wolff arrives in New Rochelle with 11 years of club coaching and 14 years of collegiate club and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) officiating experience.
A former student-athlete at Pepperdine University and 2010 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of General Studies degree, he began his coaching career at Greenwich Aquatics in 2010. Starting in 2016, he made the first final at a USA Water Polo National Championship in history for an East Coast program and claimed a runner-up finish at the USA Water Polo Rocktober (12U Nationals)
In 2017, he made history again winning a bronze medal in the platinum division at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics – marking the only time in history an East Coast based club won a medal in the platinum/gold era. Later that year he was awarded with the Ted Newland Distinguished Coach Award for the Northeast Zone. Continuing leading the same group into another National Championship, he won back to back bronze medals at the USA Water Polo Champions Cup (14U Nationals).
In the Summer of 2021, he led Greenwich Aquatics to a national championship as the program claimed the US Club Championship in San Diego, Calif., by defeating San Diego Shores. He also added a silver medal over the summer at the Futures water polo tournament.
As an official, he has been a mainstay at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships over the last decade. Rated as a Tier-2 official by the CWPA and serving USA Water Polo as the Northeast Zones Head Referee, Wolff has officiated at multiple elite events including the 2018 Men’s Senior Nationals and the 2021 NCAA Championship First Round game pitting Princeton University versus Fordham University.
Away from the deck as a coach and official, he was selected by NBC Olympics to assist water polo commentators Wolf Wigo and Julie Swail as a Production Assistant for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
Information courtesy Iona College Athletics Communications
