Located in Huntington Beach, Golden West College maintains one of the best outdoor pools in California. The renovated, 52-meter swimming pool is home to GWC's vaunted water polo team, an 18-time state champion. 


Elite Camp Staff

ADAM KRIKORIAN
HEAD COACH, UCLA BRUINS. 13-TIME NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPION. 1995 ALL-AMERICAN

There may not be another head coach in any sport throughout the country who has accomplished more than Adam Krikorian in such a short span. In his 16 years with UCLA's water polo program as both a player and a coach, Krikorian has won an unprecedented 13 national titles - nine as a head coach, three as an assistant coach and one as a student-athlete.

As the men's water polo head coach, Krikorian has guided UCLA to three NCAA Championships and boasts a .767 winning percentage (155-47 record). Krikorian's men's water polo teams have won 80 percent of their conference matches and have finished with a perfect 8-0 MPSF record twice (1999 and 2004). In the spring of 2007, Krikorian guided the women's team to its third consecutive NCAA title and UCLA's 100th NCAA team championship. The 2007 women's water polo title marked Krikorian's fourth national championship since the start of the 2004-05 school year.

Krikorian led the men's team back to the top of the rankings in 2004. He guided the Bruins to their first perfect conference finish since 1999 and first NCAA title since winning back-to-back championships in 1999 and 2000. The 2004 squad also rattled off an 18-game winning streak, which included capturing the Nor Cal Tournament title and gaining multiple victories over the nation's other three top-ranked teams - Stanford, California and USC.

As a senior captain in 1995, Krikorian helped lead UCLA to its first men's water polo national championship since 1972. Krikorian scored two goals in the Bruins' 10-8 win over California in the NCAA championship game. During his senior season, he registered a team-best 31 goals, including one two-pointer, while earning All-America second-team honors and All-MPSF second-team accolades. A four-year letterman, Krikorian captained the team in 1994 and 1995, leading the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. He finished his Bruin career with 76 goals, including a pair of two-pointers.

MATT FLESHER
ASST. COACH, UCLA BRUINS. 3-TIME NCAA CHAMPION. 3-TIME ALL-AMERICAN

Matt Flesher is in his third season serving as an assistant coach on the UCLA men's water polo staff. Flesher, a three-time All-America selection at UCLA from 1999-2002, helped guide the Bruins to a 38-14 mark in his first two years on the coaching staff.

In his four-year career as a Bruin, Flesher led UCLA to back-to-back national championships (1999 and 2000), was twice honored as an All-MPSF athlete and finished his collegiate career with 81 goals scored.

Prior to returning to Westwood in 2005, Flesher kept busy within the international water polo ranks. He spent three seasons as a full-time member of the U.S. National Team in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and also competed for professional Greek team Ethnikos-Pireaus in 2003 and 2004. While with the National Team, Flesher competed in the World University Games in 2003 and helped guide the United States to its qualification for the Water Polo World Championships in 2005.

Flesher enjoyed his finest playing season at UCLA as a sophomore in 2000, tallying a career-high 32 goals while adding 14 assists and 16 steals. During that campaign, which earned Flesher honorable mention All-America status, he helped lead UCLA to its second consecutive national title. In 1999 as a newcomer to Westwood, the Diamond Bar native added eight goals to UCLA's 22-3 national championship team. Flesher earned third-team All-America status as a junior in 2001 after pouring in 24 goals. As a senior in 2002, Flesher was again awarded third-team All-America honors after notching 17 goals and serving as UCLA's emotional leader and co-captain.

 CATHARINE VON SCHWARZ, HEAD COACH, LONG BEACH

4-TIME NCAA CHAMPION, 4-TIME NCAA ALL-AMERICAN, US NATIONAL TEAM 1995-2003

Catharine von Schwarz is in her first season as head coach of the women’s 49er squad. This is her first head coaching opportunity. For the past two years von Schwarz was the head coach of the 18 and under, 20 and under and senior women’s teams for the Los Angeles Water Polo Club.

She began her coaching career as an undergraduate assistant coach at UCLA in 2000-01 where the Bruins won the 2001 NCAA Championship. She then spent one year as an assistant coach at Golden West College before heading over to play professionally in Italy. In 2003-04 she was a full-time assistant coach at UCLA.

von Schwarz was a member of the U.S. Senior National Team from 1995-2003. She competed in over 100 international matches during her professional career, and was the second alternate for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The USA team earned numerous honors during her time on the squad including a second place finish at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada and a fourth place finish at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

She gained further international experience as a player competing for two Italian A-1 Professional League teams. In 2001-02 she competed with I.G.M. Ortigia of Siracusa, Sicily, Italy and from 2004-05 she played for Rari-Nantes Florentia of Florence, Italy.

von Schwarz played her collegiate water polo at UCLA (1995-2000). She was a four-year letterwinner with the Bruins and was a part of four NCAA Championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000). von Schwarz was selected as the UCLA Player of the Year in 2000 as a senior and was the co-Player of the Year in 1997. She earned four All-America and four All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) honors as well.

 DAN KLATT, HEAD COACH, UC IRVINE

2004 US OLYMPIC TEAM MEMBER, 2-TIME ALL-AMERICAN

Dan Klatt is in his fourth season as head coach of the UC Irvine women's water polo team.

Klatt led the Anteaters to a seventh place finish at the 2007 MPSF Championship and led the team to their best finish in school history in 2006 as the team finished sixth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation finishing the season with a 18-15 record overall.