Saint Mary’s Names James Lathrop as Men’s Water Polo Coach
Saint Mary’s has rounded out its inaugural head coaching staff, announcing the hiring of James Lathrop as men’s water polo coach Monday.
The Division I school in California will launch men’s and women’s water polo teams and men’s and women’s swimming teams in 2026-27. The three founding coaches of those programs were announced in the last week.
Lathrop brings more than 20 years of experience, including at USA Water Polo and Stanford. He was an assistant coach in 2022 for Stanford, which reached the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament final.
“We are elated to be able to hire James Lathrop as our head coach and build this program from the beginning,” Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Matoso said in a press release. “James has tremendous experience locally, nationally, and internationally. He is a perfect fit for the department and campus and we look forward to competing at the highest level.”
Lathrop hails from the East Bay. He graduated from the University of California in 2000, where he served as the Golden Bears’ team captain. He won 10 CIF North Coast Section Championships at Miramonte High School, named Coach of the Year by the California Coaches Association in 2008. He led the USA Junior National team at the 2013 FINA World Championships and served as the director for boys water polo at Lamorinda Water Polo Club.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to coach at Saint Mary’s! Having been a part of the local aquatic community for most of my life, building a program at Saint Mary’s is particularly meaningful to me and I can’t wait to get started,” Lathrop said. “I am excited to build a men’s water polo program that will compete against the best programs in the nation and build connections to our local water polo community.”
