THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The California Lutheran University athletics department has appointed longtime assistant water polo coach Cody Pletcher Interim Head Coach for the Kingsmen and Regals. 

After 14 years as an assistant coach for the men's and women's teams, Pletcher takes over the decorated programs that have achieved much success. He is just the second head coach for Cal Lutheran water polo.

"The bar has been set high the past 19 years," Pletcher said. "It is my goal to keep the bar high within the program, with continued success for both the men's and women's water polo programs at Cal Lutheran."  

With Pletcher as an assistant coach, Regals Water Polo is the back-to-back Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament Champions (2019 and '21). He has helped the women win three SCIAC Tournament Championships. As a part of the coaching staff, Pletcher and Cal Lutheran also have earned four SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors (three women's and one men's). 

With the women's SCIAC titles, Pletcher has the rare honor of having been a member of a SCIAC Championship team as both coach and player. He helped Whittier win the men's championship as a student-athlete in 2004.

Along with being the assistant coach for the Purple and Gold, Pletcher was also the goalie coach and has helped 13 different goalies obtain All-American awards. In 2019, Pletcher coached the Division III Player of the Year, who was a goalie. 

Pletcher earned a degree in history while minoring in education at Whittier, where he played four years of water polo. With the Poets, Pletcher was a three-time Academic All-American. In his senior year, he was a Second Team All-SCIAC selection. He also has a master's degree in history from Cal State Northridge. Most recently, Pletcher was inducted into the Whittier College Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to the SCIAC championship team.

Originally from Houston, Texas, he attended Alvin High School, where he played water polo and swam all four years. He earned all-conference selections twice and an all-state bid in water polo his senior year. He held the record for the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyles while attending Alvin. Additionally, Pletcher is a three-time National Calf Roping Champion and has earned nine belt buckles in his time on a horse. Pletcher was also one of the first members of the Houston Water Polo Club, where he participated in nationwide tournaments within Florida, Maryland and California.  

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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director