COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Mercyhurst University alum Josh Rodriguez has been hired as an assistant men’s water polo coach at the United States Air Force Academy.
Rodriguez comes to the Academy after spending three seasons as an Olympic Development Program (ODP) coach in Huntington Beach, Calif., and two seasons as the head boy’s and assistant girl’s water polo coach at La Canada High School in La Canada, Calif.
Rodriguez was named the 2016 Area Coach of the Year by the Pasadena Star News after he turned around the La Canada boy’s program. After a 5-14 start to the 2015 season, Rodriguez took over the program and led the team to the Rio Hondo League championship by season’s end. In 2016, he led the team to a 20-8 finish and a CIF semifinal appearance. As an ODP boy’s cadet (16U) development coach, he was named the 2017 Coach of the Year by US Water Polo as he led his cadet team to the ODP Zone Championship.
From 2013-15, he was the assistant men’s water polo coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and was the 18U coach of the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club from 2012-15.
Rodriguez is a 2013 graduate of Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies with concentrations in History and Philosophy.
A native of San Gabriel, Calif., Rodriguez played two seasons at Citrus College (Los Angles, Calif.) and was twice named first-team all-Western State Conference. He then played two seasons at Mercyhurst.
While team captain his senior year, he helped lead Mercyhurst to the best finish in school history. The 2012 team recorded a best-ever 23-8 overall record plus the school’s highest ever postseason finishes with a second- place finish at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Southern Division Championship and a Fourth Place mark at the CWPA Eastern Championship. Mercyhurst concluded the season at No. 17 in the final National Top 20 Poll, the only Top 20 finish in program history.
Release courtesy United States Air Force Academy Athletics Communications
