BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Washington & Jefferson College men’s and women’s water polo head coach Nikola Malezanov is the guest on Episode 008 of the PoloCAST Podcast with George Gross, Jr.
A biweekly series highlighting some of water polo’s best minds and athletes over the past 50+ years, PoloCAST is available on Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor and Spotify.
Hosted by Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame inductee and former Team Canada Olympian George Gross, Jr., the podcast provides listeners with more than just an X’s and O’s conversation about water polo – but a dialogue about what helped good players, coaches and administrators reach the top of the game.
New episodes release on the first and third Tuesday of every month with some bonus episodes arriving during the Holidays.
Follow the entire series by CLICKING HERE.
About Nikola Malezanov: Appointed to the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Committee in May 2020 to represent Division III and the East Region on the committee, Nikola Malezanov has served as the head coach for the W&J men’s and women’s water polo programs since the the Fall of 2017.
The native of Nis, Serbia, arrived at W&J following a successful tenure as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Water Polo Club and North Allegheny High School, where he won Pennsylvania state titles in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
An assistant coach for the USA Men’s National Team in a three-game exhibition series against Serbia in Southern California from December 2019, Malezanov holds over 15 years of coaching experience.
Previously involved with the USA Water Polo Olympic Development and National Team programs as an assistant coach for the USA Water Polo Cadet National Team and the Great Lakes Zone head coach, he served on the staff for the US National Team at the World University Games and World League preliminary tournament.
Malezanov gained experience in the collegiate ranks as a graduate assistant for swimming and water polo at Salem University (W.Va.) from 2007-2009. He then moved on to the United States Naval Academy as a coach with the club water polo team, eventually earning a spot on the varsity coaching staff in 2010 and 2011.
He joined the W&J staff during the Spring of 2016 as head coach of the women’s team and led the Presidents’ to a 16-6 finish with a runner-up finish at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship hosted by Connecticut College.
Following a year off, he returned as the men’s and women’s head coach in the Fall of 2017.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Nis and later received his Master’s in Education, Coaching and Exercise Science from Salem.
