CWPA Coaches Corner: United States Naval Academy Head Coach Luis Nicolao Discusses “Offensive Advantage”
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — United States Naval Academy head varsity water polo coach and Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member Luis Nicolao discussed “Offensive Advantage” in the fourth “Coaches Corner” webinar presented by the CWPA.
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Named the head water polo coach at the U.S. Naval Academy in January of 2018, Luis Nicolao was a standout for the Midshipmen as an athlete, earning All-America and All-East selection honors. He graduated in 1992 as the all-time leading scorer in Academy history.
Prior to taking the helm for the Mids, Nicolao served as the head coach for both the Princeton University men’s and women’s water polo programs for 20 seasons. During his tenure with the Tigers, he posted a combined 844-312 (.730) record. Under his tutelage, the men’s team held a 402-163 (.712) overall mark, while the women amassed a 442-149 (.748) ledger.
Nicolao, the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Men’s National Coach of the Year in 2004, also has five Eastern Coach of the Year awards split between the men and the women (Men: 2004, ‘09, ‘11; Women: 2001, ‘07). Additionally, he has garnered Southern Coach of the Year honors on seven occasions (Men: 2001, ‘03, ‘08; Women: 2001, ‘05, ‘06, ‘13).
He directed the Princeton men to nine Southern titles (1999, ‘01, ‘03, ‘04, ‘08, ‘10, ‘11, ‘14, ‘15), four Eastern crowns (2004, ‘09, ‘11, ‘15) and made four NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, ‘09, ‘11, ‘15). The women have nine Southern titles to their credit (1999, ‘01, ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘08, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14), four Eastern crowns (2000, ‘12, ‘13, ‘15) and three NCAA berths (2012, ‘13, ‘15).
Collectively, Nicolao coached 29 Princeton student-athletes to a combined 65 All-America accolades with 15 men’s team members collecting 34 All-America honors and 14 women tallying 31 All-America distinctions. In addition, he oversaw eight men’s water polo players who earned Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Southern Player of the Year honors and a pair of CWPA Rookies of the Year. On the women’s side, Nicolao coached six different student-athletes to a total of 12 CWPA Southern Player of the Year accolades with an additional two players claiming rookie of the year laurels.
Success in the pool runs in Nicolao’s family. His mother, Lee Davis, was a world-record holder in the distance freestyle while his father, Luis, was a world-record holder in the 100-butterfly. Nicolao followed suit as a two-time high school All-America in water polo, leading Bellarmine College Prep in California to its local championship each year.
As a student-athlete at Navy, Nicolao was a three-time All-America selection and All-East selection for the Midshipmen, graduating as the school’s all-time leader in points (377) and goals scored (282). During the course of his career, Navy won two Eastern Championships (1988, ‘90) and reached the NCAA Tournament on three occasions (1988, ‘90, ‘91). He was named the CWPA Eastern MVP in 1990 and 1991, while earning CWPA First-Team All-East accolades for three straight seasons (1989, ‘90, ‘91). In addition, Nicolao served as the team captain as a senior during the 1991 season.
After earning the Naval Academy Athletic Association’s Sword for Men as the top graduating male athlete in 1992, Nicolao assisted with the Navy water polo program as a temporary assigned duty (TAD). He was also a member of the U.S. National Team that won the gold medal at the World University Games before serving in the Navy for five years.
Nicolao returned to his alma mater’s pool in 1996 as an officer representative prior to accepting the head coaching position at Princeton in 1998, while also serving as the U.S. men’s national “B” team assistant coach (1998, ‘99).
Nicolao earned a Master’s Degree in adult education from the University of Phoenix. He and his wife, Kellie, have two daughters, Madison and Morgan.
