University of California - Davis Women's Water Polo

Wright took down his milestone 300th varsity-era win with a 10-6 victory over Brown at the Roadrunner Invitational on March 28. When the NCAA began sponsoring an annual National Collegiate Championship in 2001, Wright embarked on a new quest: to bring his program to prominence on that stage. In 2006, his Aggie team reached that pinnacle. With an 8-7 upset over Loyola Marymount in the Western Water Polo Association title game, UC Davis earned the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA postseason. Sweetening the victory was that UC Davis hosted the 2006 national tournament at Schaal Aquatics Center. The Aggies finished fifth nationally in 2006, ending the year with wins over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Hartwick. Wright returned his program to the national stage in 2008 with UC Davis' qualification to the NCAA Championship at Stanford. With a 10-9 win over Loyola Marymount in the conference title game, the Aggies won their last-ever Western Water Polo Association championship to capture the conference's automatic qualifier to the national tournament. UC Davis went on to post a program-best fourth place at the national tournament, finishing the year with a school-record 27 wins. Wright now is charged with the task of guiding his program through a new era: as a member of the highly competitive Big West Conference. That league launched its inaugural season in 2009, pitting UC Davis in a tough race with UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State and Pacific. Another national power, Hawai'i, will join the league in 2013. Wright's history with UC Davis women's water polo dates back to its club days. After inheriting the team in 1983, he led the team to the Collegiate I Nationals 15 times, where the Aggies placed third or higher 10 times. Since the NCAA began sponsoring an NCAA Championship for women's water polo, Wright has twice brought his program to that stage. UC Davis had come close to the NCAA Championships in the five previous years. In 2001, the Aggies came within one game - in fact, one goal - of earning the automatic qualification. Instead, the Aggies qualified for the National Collegiate Select Championships (formerly the USWP Collegiate I Nationals), where they placed fourth. For his achievements, Wright won the first-ever USWP Division II Coach of the Year award by the American Water Polo Coaches Association. From 2002 to 2004, UC Davis placed third in the conference, engaging in epic battles during semifinal play. In 2005, Wright guided a relatively inexperienced team to a 20-17 season and a runner-up finish in the WWPA Championships at Schaal Aquatics Center. Wright was voted as WWPA Coach of the Year by his peers. Wright guided the Aggies to the USWP national championship game six times, winning the title in 1984, 1988 and 1993. In 1999, the Aggies placed seventh at nationals after winning the inaugural WWPA women's title, earning Wright Coach of the Year merit. Along with the team success, Wright has coached 65 All-Americans and has had eight players compete on the U.S. Senior National `A' Team. Additionally, he was selected Collegiate I Coach of the Year in 1991 and served as the U.S. Senior National `B' Team Coach from 1990 to 1999, coaching teams competing in Hungary, Great Britain, Holland, Canada and Puerto Rico. A 1980 graduate of UC Davis, Wright earned first team All-Far Western Conference honors in water polo in 1977 and 1978. He was a team captain and a 1980 All-American in swimming as well. Wright also earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Besides helping develop the high school girls' water polo scene in the local area, Wright served as the driving force in bringing women's water polo to varsity status at UC Davis for the 1997 season. His role of advancing the sport reached new heights in February 2004, when he was selected to chair the inaugural NCAA joint men's and women's water polo rules committee. Jamey and his wife Nancy, who starred for the Aggies during the program's club heydays, reside in Davis with their children Michael, Hailey and Cameron. Michael now competes for the UC Davis men's water polo team, while Hailey joined the Aggie women's team in 2013.

After serving on the UC Davis women’s water polo coaching staff for 12 seasons, Kandace Waldthaler was selected as the Coach Jamey Wright and Hodgens Family Director of Women's Water Polo in July of 2022. She enters her fourth season as head coach in 2026. Waldthaler spent her first seven seasons as an assistant coach before serving as associate head coach for five years. She has been instrumental in cementing the inclusive and high-performance culture the program has enjoyed under Wright. Most recently, Waldthaler joined the national team staff as an assistant coach for the Senior National "B" Team.  The Aggies have enjoyed nine winning seasons, 23 ACWPC All-America recognitions, and 50 All-Big West honors during Waldthaler's time at UC Davis. The team has seen multiple ACWPA All-Academic honorees every year of her tenure, including eight or more six times (2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2025) with two team (2012, 2018) awards. The 2025 squad set a new precedent for academics within the Aggie program, as a record 18 student-athletes landed on the ACWPC All-Academic team. A 2005 All-American with Indiana, Waldthaler returned to the Davis water polo scene in 2010 as an assistant coach for both the Aggie men's and women's teams. Originally from Armijo High in Fairfield, Calif., Waldthaler earned JC All-America honors and a conference MVP nod for nearby Sierra College before embarking on her two-year career in Bloomington. As a senior, she led the Hoosiers with 55 goals, 55 drawn exclusions, five four-meter penalty shots and nine hat tricks to capture AWPCA (now ACWPC) All-America third-team distinction. While at IU, Waldthaler retained her ties with Northern California, serving as a coach at Sierra Water Polo Club in 2004 then with Davis WPC in 2005. She served at the helm of the girls' 12-and-under squad, solidifying her ties with Aggie mentors Steve Doten and Jamey Wright. After playing pro ball for St. George of the Australian National Water Polo League, Waldthaler served as an assistant at Indiana for four years, partially while completing her masters' studies. She received her M.S. in applied sports science in 2009. Waldthaler had also excelled as an IU undergrad, earning AWPCA All-Academic Superior accolades both years before graduating with her degree in exercise science. In January 2011, Waldthaler was inducted into the Sierra College Athletic Hall of Fame, joining four individuals and one team in the Wolverine Athletic Association's sixth induction class.