Coralie Simmons Named to USAWP Hall of Fame

BERKELEY – USA Water Polo announced on Thursday that California women's water polo head coach Coralie Simmons – who has built one of the most decorated careers in the sport over the past two and a half decades – will be one of five members making up the 39th induction class of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.

One of the great trailblazers of the women's water polo world, Simmons boasts one of the most impressive resumes in the sport as both a player and coach.

During her competitive days in the pool, Simmons won three NCAA championships and was a two-time NCAA Player of the Year and Olympic medalist. Her long list of coaching accolades includes a world title at the helm of the USA Women's Junior National Team, two Division II Coach of the Year awards and four trips to the NCAA semifinals with the Golden Bears.

After bursting onto the scene in Hemet, California, as a dynamic player in the late 1990s, Simmons competed on her high school boys' team on her path to becoming a student-athlete at UCLA and subsequently a key member for Team USA.

While with the Bruins, Simmons was named the top player in the country two times as well as earning four first-team All-America honors. She won her first of three national titles in the first-ever NCAA Championships in 2001. She also helped Team USA take home the silver medal at the inaugural women's water polo Olympic competition in 2000 in Sydney.

Simmons also went on to find success in the international club scene – winning three Greek Championships and a European Cup title – as well as in domestic competition, being a part of multiple national championship teams for New York Athletic Club.

After serving one-year stints as an assistant coach at Hawaii and UCLA, she became the head coach at Sonoma State University. In nine years with the program, she was twice honored as the Division II National Coach of the Year.

Now in her seventh season as Cal's head coach, Simmons has led the program to perennial success, reaching the NCAA semifinals four times in five non-COVID years. The Bears have finished in the top four nationally every year under Simmons, including reaching a No. 1 national ranking during the 2018 season. She has produced 24 ACWPC All-America selections and 78 ACWPC All-Academic picks with the Bears.

Simmons has also remained heavily involved in the U.S. National Team program, taking home gold medals from the World Championships as an assistant for both the U.S. Senior Team and Youth National Team.

The USA Water Polo Hall of Fame Induction luncheon will be held on June 9 in Pleasanton, California.

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