Chris Radmonovich embarks on his ninth season at the helm of the Wagner Women's Water Polo team, after leading the Seahawks to five straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships.
On September 4th, 2015, Radmonovich was selected to be the inaugural coach of the Wagner Men's Water Polo program, which began competition in 2016-17. Wagner College announced the addition of men's water polo and women’s fencing to bring the Division I varsity sports up to 22. Radmonovich will serve as head coach for both water polo programs going forward.
During the 2018 women's season, Radmonovich led the Green & White to a 25-7 overrall record and a perfect 14-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record, earning its fifth straight MAAC title. The Seahawks boasted a .781 winning percentage for the 2018 campaign en route to Radmonovich being named 2018 BSN MAAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
The five-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Wagner women's water polo team defeated UC San Diego 10-7 in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, marking the second straight season that the Seahawks have won their opening round NCAA game, coming on the heels of the 2017 team's 6-5 win over these same Tritons.
With the victory, the 2018 women's water polo team became the third team in Wagner history to win an NCAA playoff game, joining the 2017 women's water polo team and the 2012 Seahawk football team (31-20 win over Colgate).
In 2017, The fourth-seeded Wagner men's water polo team fell 8-5 to No. 2-seeded George Washington in its first-ever appearance in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament (MAWPC) championship game. The Seahawks' run to the MAWPC title game, in just the second year of the program's existence, was recognized when Radmonovich took home Coach of the Tournament honors.
The 2016 season proved to be another memorable year for the Seahawks winning their third consecutive MAAC Championship as well as capturing the MAAC regular season title with an undefeated conference record (12-0). Wagner became just the third team in MAAC history to win three consecutive water polo championships after defeating Marist 8-5 to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Once again, the Seahawks became a regular presence in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) National Top 25 Poll reaching as high as 16th after defeating #11 Hartwick 9-8 at the Harvard Invite.
Radmonovich was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career after compiling a 29-10 overall record and setting the school record for wins in a single season. Under his leadership, Jess Lundgren was voted MAAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was joined by fellow seniors Lily Doerfler and Megan Rodriguez on the All-MAAC First Team. Additionally, Lundgren was the only student-athlete from an associate member school to be selected for the 35th MAAC Anniversary First Team.
In 2015, the Seahawks captured their second consecutive MAAC postseason title. The Seahawks, who finished second in the regular season standings, bested Marist 10-8 in the final to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Wagner defeated its first top-ten opponent in school history after upsetting 10th-ranked Long Beach State, 5-3 at the Bucknell Invite.
The Seahawks became a steady fixture in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) National Top 25 Poll reaching as high as 14th, a new program record. Jess Lundgren was awarded MAAC Offensive Player of the Year honors while Emily Riddle was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the year under his guidance.
2014 saw Wagner capture its first MAAC championship under his direction, winning both the regular season and conference championship en route to a NCAA tournament appearance.
The 2013 season was a record-setting one for the Seahawks. Radmonovich led his team to 26 wins, which was the most in school history, along with coaching MAAC Rookie of the Year Jess Lundgren, en route to winning MAAC Coach of the Year.
In Radmonovich first season with the Green & White, the Seahawks compiled an overall record of 17-15, finishing second in the MAAC. During that inaugural season, he led Lauren French to Honorable Mention All-American status and aided in the development of Chelsea Beck, the 2011 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Success in the pool has been matched by the efforts in the classroom under Radmonovich’s helm, as Wagner has earned the top GPA in the nation among all divisions of water polo teams the past five seasons. Last season’s team average of a 3.61 GPA bested schools such as Stanford, Harvard, and Brown.
Radmonovich has also been instrumental in leading the Seahawks to accomplishments out of the water, as the water polo squad has continued to lead Wagner Athletics’ participation in the “Tunnel to Towers” run since its creation. The 5K run helps to honor Steven Siller, a former New York City firefighter that passed away during the September 11th attacks.
