Women's Water Polo

Menlo Park native Keith Wilbur, who graduated from Princeton and helped the Tigers win three Ivy League Championships as team captain and goalie, is in his 11th-year directing both the men’s and women’s water polo programs at Santa Clara University.

Wilbur was hired in July of 2002 and has become the winningest coach in SCU water polo history. He has recruited and coached six Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Americans, led both men’s and women’s programs to their best-ever seasons, including taking the women’s team to the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championship game in 2009 and has twice been named WWPA Coach of the Year.

His men’s program achieved a No. 10 national ranking in 2009 by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), and both programs have enjoyed extended time ranked among the nation’s top 20. The women’s team's best ranking came in 2007, when the CWPA tabbed the Broncos No. 12.

Not only have his teams excelled athletically, his student-athletes have posted a 100 percent graduation rate on the women’s side and over 95 percent on the men’s side. As recently as July of 2012, the Bronco women’s team placed a league-best 11 student-athletes on the WWPA All-Academic team.

The Broncos best-ever record on the men’s side came in 2009, when SCU went 22-12 and advanced into the WWPA semifinals, behind All-America driver Jack Wall, who finished his collegiate career among the most accomplished water polo players in school history.

The Bronco women’s best overall record of 25-8, came in 2006. In 2009 SCU was one win away from its first-ever NCAA tournament berth. Utility player Lindsey Bacolini was the program’s first Division I All-American in 2006 and lefty Amy Lamb was honored as an All-American in 2009.

Prior to being hired at Santa Clara, he served as the top assistant at San Jose State University in 2002, helping the Spartans rank as high as No. 6 nationally.

Following an outstanding playing career, which included a brief stint as a member of the US National Team and competing in the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy, he moved into coaching, getting his start at his high school alma mater Menlo School. Wilbur coached four high school All-Americans and led the team to the CCS Championship game three times in his four years at Menlo. Before his arrival, Menlo had never won a CCS playoff match.

Wilbur is a 1996 honors graduate of Princeton University, earning his degree in Economics.