THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — California Lutheran University has hired John Jacobson as the head coach of its men's and women's water polo programs.
A Cal Lutheran alumnus, Jacobson coached as a graduate assistant from 2009 to 2011. He helped guide the women's team to a Collegiate III National Championship in 2010.
"I am excited to return to Thousand Oaks and be back in the fold of the Cal Lutheran community," Jacobson said. "It is a privilege and an honor to help guide these student-athletes and I hope to build on the great traditions and successes of the water polo program.
"With the goal of developing fundamentally sound, respectful and nationally competitive water polo players, our teams will work hard in and out of the pool to represent themselves, their families and the university to the best of their abilities. Through commitment, teamwork and training, our men's and women's programs will work to be the best in the country. It is an exciting time for Cal Lutheran water polo, and I look forward to getting to work and having a great year in 2023-24".
Jacobson brings a wealth of experience, coaching at different levels. He founded the Northwest Water Polo Club in Bellevue, Washington, in 2013, and served as the executive director and head coach of the club. Over the past decade, he has prepared, mentored, and developed over 20 athletes to compete on NCAA rosters; developed practice, training, and competition schedules in coordination with assistant coaches to compete on a national level; managed day to day operations including practice, game and tournament scheduling, program marketing, and recruiting; and much more.
Both Jacobson's boys and girls teams at the Northwest Water Polo Club had myriad achievements. His teams were Alberta Open and Pacific North West Zone champions, and they competed in Platinum Division Junior Olympics and Gold Division Junior Olympics. In 2022, eight of his teams qualified for the Junior Olympics. He has coached over 50 USA Water Polo Academic All-Americans, placed 15 athletes on NCAA rosters, five selected to the USA Water Polo National Team, and six were named Junior Olympic All-Americans.
Jacobson's playing career began at Whittier, where he helped his team win the 2004 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship. He was the 2005 Most Improved Player and ranked top-five in all-time saves. In high school, his team at Mercer Island was Washington State Champs from 2000-03. He also played for the Washington Water Polo Club, and at the Junior Olympics, his teams placed fifth, seventh, 10th and 12th.
Jacobson graduated from Whittier in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. He earned an MBA from Cal Lutheran in 2011.
