BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former professional athlete and longtime high school coach Nila Ward was announced as the assistant coach for Connecticut College men’s and women’s water polo by head coach Matt Anderson.
She joins the Connecticut College staff with 14-years of experience leading high school, club and Junior College teams following time as a varsity player at the University of California-Davis and the University of California-Santa Cruz along with collegiate club experience with the Banana Slugs.
She comes to New London, Conn. following one year at Notre Dame High School in Riverside, Calif., where she served as Director of Aquatics and head water polo coach (boys and girls) in addition to teaching Physical Education, Health Careers and Biology.
Head coach of the USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program (ODP) SOPAC Youth Zone “B” team from 2018 until her appointment at Connecticut College, Ward served as head women’s and assistant men’s water polo coach at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif., from 2017-to-2018.
Head coach of the 18U/16 U Girls water polo program at Westside Aquatics (formerly Santa Monica High Club) in Santa Monica, Calif., from 2006-to-2016, she led the team to a bronze medal in their first-ever appearance at the Junior Olympics in 2015. Further, she helped train and mentor players of the 2016 CIF-SS VI Championship squad following semifinalist marks in both 2014 and 2015.
Prior to joining Westside Aquatics, she coached the girls’ water polo team at Louisville High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. from 2014-to-2015.
A 12-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department as an Ocean Lifeguard and Youth Programs Instructor from 2007, she served as a Junior Lifeguard instructor overseeing a program teaching groups of children (ages 9-17) how to approach the ocean, lifesaving skills, First Aid/CPR and leading in Regional and National competition.
In addition to her work and coaching experience, Ward achieved success in the water as a professional athlete around the globe.
A member of the National Water Polo League’s U.W.A. Torpedoes in Perth, Australia from 2010-to-2011, she helped lead G.S. Iraklis of Thessaloniki, Greece to the Greek National League bronze medal and a LEN European Trophy semifinalist berth as a member of the squad from 2012-to-2013.
The starting center and high scorer for S.G. Amersfoort of Amersfoort, the Netherlands, in 2013, she returned to Australia to compete with the Fyfe Jets of Adelaide in the National Water Polo League during 2014.
Ward returned to Europe from 2015-to-2016 as a member of Dos Hermanas Water Polo in Sevilla, Spain. As a member of Dos Hermanas, she rated among the Top 20 goal scorers in the Division de Honor and was named the XXVII Campeonato de Dos Hermanas Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Ward remained in Europe from 2016-to-2017 competing with Durham University of Durham, the United Kingdom, where she led the school to the BUCS National Championship as a Player/Coach while pursuing a Masters degree. Away from Durham, she competed for the Leed Sharks of the British National Water Polo League where she led the league in scoring and helped the Leeds to the program’s inaugural “Super Fives” finals appearance.
Most recently, she was part of Claret Askartza Water Polo Club of Bilbao, Spain, in 2018. At Claret, she rated as the team’s high-scorer and led the squad to the Euskal Herria league title while capturing tournament Most Valuable Player accolades for leading the team to the VI Torneo Fem. Barbaria Championship. Further, she functioned as an assistant coach for age group teams.
Away from the pool, she was recognized as a 2016 Camino de Santiago “Compostela” recipient for completing a 500-mile pilgrimage walk across the northern length of Spain and earned a 2017 Professional Lifeguard Foundation Scholarship.
Prior to joining the coaching and lifeguard ranks, Ward excelled on both the varsity and collegiate club levels.
A two-year member of the University of California-Davis varsity program, she transferred to UC-Santa Cruz and helped the the varsity Banana Slugs reach the Division III Championship tournament in 2008 and 2009. A two-time Division III Championship All-Tournament selection (2008, 2009), she helped lead UC-Santa Cruz to Third Place finishes in both seasons at Connecticut College (2008) and California Lutheran University (2009), and garnered Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America Honorable Mention recognition in 2008.
Following the 2009 season, UC-Santa Cruz elected to eliminate varsity water polo. Ward founded and served as the inaugural President of the UC-Santa Cruz collegiate club program in the Fall of 2009. During her single season of club competition, she garnered All-Sierra Pacific Division First Team honors and led the Banana Slugs to the Sierra Pacific Division Championship to claim a berth to the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
At the National Collegiate Club Championship, she received All-Tournament First Team status for leading UC-Santa Cruz to a Third Place finish as the Banana Slugs defeated Middlebury College (17-7 W) and the University of Pennsylvania (11-7 W) before falling to eventual Women’s Collegiate Club National Champion California Polytechnic State University (13-4 L). In the Third Place game, UC-Santa Cruz downed the University of Oregon (12-8 W) to claim the program’s highest finish in the history of the event.
Following the season, she earned Women’s National Collegiate Club All-America First Team accolades prior to graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services in 2010.
