Adam Krikorian – Head Coach • 9th Year • UCLA (‘97) There may not be another head coach in any a third-place finish in the MPSF Tournament and sport throughout the country who has accomplished a No. 3 final national ranking. For the first time in more than Adam Krikorian in such a short span. In program history, the Bruins won four games against his 16 years with UCLA’s water polo program as conference-rival Stanford. In the spring of 2007, both a player and a coach, Krikorian has won an Krikorian guided the women’s team to its third unprecedented 13 national titles – nine as a head consecutive NCAA title and UCLA’s 100th NCAA coach, three as an assistant coach and one as a team championship. The 2007 women’s water polo student-athlete. title marked Krikorian’s fourth national championship This fall, Adam Krikorian enters his ninth season since the start of the 2004-05 school year. as head coach of the UCLA men’s water polo team That season, Krikorian led both water polo teams and his seventh season alone at the helm. In 1999 to national-champion status for the third time in and 2000, he shared head coaching duties with his head coaching career. Krikorian previously led Guy Baker, who now serves as head coach of the both squads to national championships in the same U.S. Women’s National Team. season in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. The 2004 men’s As the men’s water polo head coach, Krikorian water polo team finished with the best winning per- has guided UCLA to three NCAA Championships centage of any UCLA water polo team since 1972, and boasts a .767 winning percentage (155-47 and the 2005 women’s team completed the second record). Krikorian’s men’s water polo teams have undefeated season in NCAA water polo history by won 80 percent of their conference matches and running off a record 33-game winning streak. have finished with a perfect 8-0 MPSF record twice Krikorian led the men’s team back to the top of the (1999 and 2004). rankings in 2004. He guided the Bruins to their first Last season, Krikorian led the men’s squad to perfect conference finish since 1999 and first NCAA Adam Krikorian Year-by-Year (Men’s Water Polo) Year Overall Conf. Finish 1999 22-3 8-0 NCAA Champions 2000 19-7 6-2 NCAA Champions 2001 16-5 7-1 NCAA Runner-up 2002 15-8 4-4 5th 2003 20-7 7-1 3rd 2004 25-3 8-0 NCAA Champions 2005 21-8 5-3 5th 2006 17-6 6-2 3rd Totals 155-47 51-13 3 NCAA Championships Adam Krikorian Year-by-Year (Women’s Water Polo) Year Overall Conf. Finish 1999 24-10 6-3 3rd 2000 30-5 8-1 National Champions 2001 18-4 9-1 NCAA Champions 2002 22-4 10-1 NCAA Runner-up 2003 24-4 8-2 NCAA Champions 2004 22-5 9-2 2nd 2005 33-0 12-0 NCAA Champions 2006 29-4 11-1 NCAA Champions 2007 28-2 11-1 NCAA Champions Totals 230-38 84-12 6 Championships (5 NCAA) Assistant Coaching Record (Men’s Water Polo) Year Overall Conf. Finish 1996 24-6 6-2 NCAA Champions 1997 14-12 4-4 6th 1998 17-6 6-2 3rd Totals 55-24 16-8 1 NCAA Championship Assistant Coaching Record (Women’s Water Polo) Year Overall Conf. Finish 1997 31-1 6-0 National Champions 1998 35-1 9-0 National Champions Totals 66-2 15-0 2 Championships title since winning back-to-back championships in as a student assistant coach as he completed his 1999 and 2000. The 2004 squad also rattled off an undergraduate studies, assisting Baker in leading Adam Krikorian vs. Opponents 18-game winning streak, which included capturing both squads to national championships. Air Force 2-0 the NorCal Tournament title and gaining multiple As a senior captain in 1995, Krikorian helped lead Bucknell 1-0 victories over the nation’s other three top-ranked UCLA to its first men’s water polo national cham- BYU-Hawaii 2-0 teams - Stanford, California and USC. pionship since 1972. Krikorian scored two goals in Cal Baptist 5-0 In 2002, Krikorian guided a young Bruin team the Bruins’ 10-8 win over California in the NCAA California 13-10 to a third-place finish in the MPSF Tournament and championship game. During his senior season, Chaminade 2-0 its first win over Stanford in three years. That team he registered a team-best 31 goals, including one Long Beach State 15-2 also claimed the Nor Cal Tournament Championship two-pointer, while earning All-America second-team Loyola Marymount 9-0 with a 6-3 victory over USC in the title game. In the honors and All-MPSF second-team accolades. Massachusetts 1-0 spring of 2003, Krikorian led UCLA’s women’s water A four-year letterman, Krikorian captained the Navy 5-0 polo team to a national championship, his fifth title team in 1994 and 1995, leading the Bruins to the Pacific 12-0 as a head coach. NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. He In 2000, Krikorian led the men to their fourth finished his Bruin career with 76 goals, including Pepperdine 14-4 NCAA title in six years and second consecutive a pair of two-pointers. Krikorian was named “Most Princeton 5-0 championship. He also led the UCLA women to Inspirational Player” by his teammates in each of Santa Clara 1-0 the inaugural NCAA championship in Baker’s his last three seasons. Stanford 13-16 absence (Baker was coaching the U.S. Women’s A standout prep athlete at Mountain View High UC Davis 2-0 National Team). The 2001 women’s squad finished School, Krikorian was a four-year letterman in water UC Irvine 17-4 the season with an 18-4 overall mark, including a polo and swimming. As a senior, he scored 113 UC Santa Barbara 24-1 9-1 MPSF record, and won its second consecutive goals and earned honorable mention All-America USC 12-10 national championship. accolades. In 1992, he helped lead his team to the Krikorian was promoted to Co-Head Coach at the National Junior Olympic championship. Krikorian’s In May 2001, Krikorian married Anicia Mendez, start of the 1999 men’s season, after serving as an older brother, Blake, was on the UCLA water polo a four-year Bruin letterwinner in tennis who com- assistant for three years. In the spring of 1999, he team from 1986-89. pleted her MBA at UCLA. Adam and Anicia reside served as the interim head coach for the women’s Krikorian graduated from UCLA with a psychol- in Manhattan Beach, Calif., with their one year-old water polo team, while Baker was once again coach- ogy degree and a business administration emphasis son, Jack. ing the U.S. Women’s National Team. in June 1997. Krikorian was born on July 22, 1974. During the 1996-97 school year, Krikorian served Career Highlights - 13 National Championships (9 as a head coach, 2 as an assistant coach, 1 as a player) - 2004 National Men’s Water Polo Coach of the Year - 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007 National Women’s Water Polo Coach of the Year - Tied for first among active men’s water polo coaches in NCAA Championships won - Has led both teams to national titles in the same season three times (’99-’00, ’00-’01, ’04-’05) - Coached 25 All-America selections during his tenure as men’s head coach Playing Highlights - Led UCLA to its first NCAA Championship in 23 years (1995) - Second-team All-America and All-MPSF honoree in 1995 - Four-year men’s water polo letterwinner (1992-1995) - Scored 76 career goals, including one pair of two-pointers Matt Flesher – Assistant Coach • 3rd Year • UCLA (‘02) Matt Flesher enters his third season serving as an assistant coach on the Career Highlights UCLA men’s water polo staff. Flesher, - Has served as a men’s water polo assistant coach at UCLA for two seasons a three-time All-America selection at - Played at UCLA from 1999 through 2002, scoring 81 career goals UCLA from 1999-2002, helped guide - Helped lead UCLA to NCAA titles in 1999 and 2000 the Bruins to a 38-14 mark in his first - Three-time All-America selection (2000 hm, 2001 and 2002 third team) two years on the coaching staff. Flesher’s instruction proved vital - Award the Jack Bariteau, Jr. “Most Inspirational Player” Award as a senior to UCLA’s offensive prowess in 2006. - Spent three seasons playing as a full-time member of the U.S. National Team The Bruins averaged 10.5 goals per game, third-best in the MPSF, and 2004 and helped lead the SeaKings to a winning goal against California in the featured six players who scored 20 CIF Division I semifinal appearance. MPSF Tournament title game. goals or more. While with the National Team, In 1999 as a newcomer to West- In his four-year career as a Bruin, Flesher competed in the World Univer- wood, Flesher added eight goals to Flesher led UCLA to back-to-back na- sity Games in 2003 and helped guide UCLA’s 22-3 national championship tional championships (1999 and 2000), the United States to its qualification for team. Flesher earned third-team All- was twice honored as an All-MPSF the Water Polo World Championships America status as a junior in 2001 athlete and finished his collegiate career in 2005.