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Menlo Park native Keith Wilbur begins his seventh season as head coach of the men's and women's water polo teams. Wilbur joined Santa Clara in July 2002. In 2008, he earned his 100th career win at the helm of the Bronco men's program. In his landmark coaching season in 2008, he coached redshirt junior Jack Wall to All-American Honorable Mention honors. This was Wilbur's third consecutive All-America honoree. Wall, junior Liam Farrell, redshirt senior Chris Parolin and freshman James Case earned conference accolades. Throughout 2008, the Broncos were nationally ranked, reaching as high as No. 12 for four-consecutive weeks. The Broncos concluded the 2007 with a fourth-place finish in the Western Water Polo Association and boasted Wilbur's second straight All-American honoree in senior Tommy Kelly. The Broncos also tallied four WWPA conference selections in Robert Callahan, Tommy Hendrickson, Kelly and Nicholas Poggetti. Wilbur led the Broncos to a fourth-place finish in the Western Water Polo Assocation and 14-16 record in 2006. The Broncos were a constant presence in the national rankings, finishing the year at No. 16. In 2006, sophomore Jack Wall became the first SCU men's water polo player to be named an All-American under Wilbur. Freshman Liam Farrell was also named WWPA Newcomer of the Year. In 2003, when the team posted a 17-13 record, equaling the school record for wins in a season. In 2005, the Broncos put together a strong year with a 16-16 record and a sixth-place finish in the Western Water Polo Association Championships. Since his first season overseeing the women's program in spring 2003, Wilbur has been behind the continued improvement of the program, highlighted by an historic 2006 campaign in which the team finished 25-8 and took third place at the WWPA Championships, both program bests. The squad also reached No. 15 in the national rankings and utility Lindsey Bacolini became the program's first-ever Division I All-American. Wilbur joined Santa Clara after one season on the water polo coaching staff at San Jose State University. In addition to his coaching duties for the Spartans, he coordinated recruiting efforts for a team that finished the 2002 season ranked sixth nationally. Wilbur started his coaching career as the boys varsity water polo coach at Menlo School, where he coached four high school All-Americans and led the team to the CCS Championships three times in his four years there. Prior to his arrival, Menlo had never won a CCS playoff match. Wilbur graduated from Princeton in 1996 with a degree in Economics. As a player, he was a team captain as a senior, leading the Tigers defensively from the cage to three Ivy League Championships and the 1992 East Coast Championships. Wilbur was also a member of the U.S. National Team in 1997-98 and competed at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy. |
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