EMMITSBURG, Md. — Robert “Bobby” Halligan Jr. will join the Mount St. Mary’s University men’s and women’s water polo programs as an assistant coach to newly promoted head coach Justin Vink.
A native of Paoli, Pa., and a graduate of La Salle College High School, Halligan arrives in Maryland after working with the USA Water Polo teams in the Northeast region as a coach in the Olympic Development Program (ODP). He also spent his time mentoring at the Wissahickon Community Aquatic Club (WCAC) Maverick Water Polo Club where he coached the 14U, 16U and 18U boys’ and girls’ club teams.
A 2021 graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif., with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Halligan served as team captain in 2020. Following a redshirt freshman season in 2018 during which he logged 533 minutes, 192 saves and a 13-9 record while serving as LMU’s primary goalkeeper, Halligan redshirted his 2019 sophomore campaign. In 2020, he started eight games during a shortened Spring season with 93 saves in approximately 230 minutes in the cage. Further, he volunteered his time away from the classroom and pool with the Special Olympics and Environmental Cleanup.
The assistant coach position continues a career path in coaching as Halligan seeks to engage with student-athletes to enhance their skill sets and development as well as create prosperous and positive environments. His intent is to utilize a mentor focused leadership style with an emphasis on cognitive, emotional, and empathetic understanding that contributes to the success of the student, the coach and the team.
