Water Polo ( Men's and Women's )

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Water Polo

In 1981, the NCAA ruled that Division I schools were required to maintain eight recognized sports. GW's Men's Athletics then had seven plus crew (which was not recognized by the NCAA). In response to this ruling, the University began a varsity water polo program. Water Polo, which appears to be a combination of basketball formations with soccer rules, has taken hold at the University. In its early years, the team drew members from the Men's Swimming Team.

Formally competing in the Mid-Atlantic conference, the Colonials are a charter member of the new Eastern Water Polo Association (EWPA) which was created after the Mid-Atlantic, New England and Southern Water Polo conferences merged. Among the teams in the new conference are national powerhouses such as Princeton, Navy and Slippery Rock.

Andy Turnage succeeded GW water polo legend Callie Flipse as Head Coach of the team. Turnage led the team to a first place tie in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAC) regular season play in 1992 with a 6-2 league mark. In the '92 season the team took second place in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference. In the ‘94-'95 season the team moved from the B to the A Division. For the first time the team was ranked in the NCAA CWPCA top twenty poll. The water polo team ended the 1995 season with one of the best records ever, tying Navy for first place in the league and earning a #16 ranking in the NCAA polls. In 1996 the team finished 11-13 and was ranked 25th. In 1997 the team finished overall at 13-6-2 and 10-3-0 in the Atlantic 10. The team had a 6-19 season in 1999. With the University's increasing commitment to varsity water polo, Scott Reed was named the first head coach of the GW Women's Water Polo Team in the summer of 1999. Reed, in his eighth season at GW, also coaches the men's program. Reed guided the Colonials men's team to 12 victories in 2005, the most for the program since he assumed head coaching duties in 1998.

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Author or Source: University Archives subject files
Document Location: University Archives
Date Added to Encyclopedia: December 21, 2006
Prepared by: G. David Anderson, University Archivist and Historian

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