BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Mercyhurst University water polo founding head coach Tim Kuzma continues in the Erie area.
The head coach for the Lakers’ men’s and women’s water polo teams during both programs first-year in 2000-to-2001, Kuzma continued coaching swimming and diving until 2013 .
A real estate agent in Erie since 2004, the 1991 Gannon University graduate, he began his coaching career from 1988-to-1990 at Edinboro University following an intercollegiate swimming/diving tenure that saw Kuzma qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship (1985-to-1986) for Allegheny College prior to making the NCAA Division II Championship for Gannon (1987-to-1988).
A US High Diving Team stunt diver and coordinator from 1988-to-1995, he served as the diving coach at Allegheny College from 1995-to-2000. A five-time North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Diving Coach of the Year selection, his athletes earned 27 All-America honors during his tenure.
Kuzma served as head swimming coach for the Mercyhurst-Northeast campus in 2001 and 2002 leading the Saints to Top Five finishes in men’s swimming and diving (2001 – Fifth Place; 2002 – Fifth Place) and women’s swimming and diving (2001 – Fourth Place; 2002 – Fourth Place) at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championship. For his efforts, he earned the NJCAA Region 3 Coach of the Year award.
Following his tenure at Mercyhurst, he became the assistant diving coach at General McLane High School near Erie from 2003-to-2005. Following a one-year off from coaching, he returned as the diving coach at Gannon from 2007-to-2008 prior to coaching diving at Mercyhurst Prep, Cathedral Prep and Villa Maria Academy from 2010-to-2013.
Away from the pool and the home market, he most recently earned the Republican nomination for a seat in the Pennsylvania State Legislature, but lost in the 2018 general election.