STANFORD, Calif. -
The Dunlevie Family Director of Women's Water Polo John Tanner has been named
the College Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee,
announced Tuesday. Tanner was nominated by USA Water Polo.
In its second year,
the award aims to recognize and award the work of quality coaches and providers
that are creating significant impact in their sport throughout the year.
"After a year
spent video conferencing at my dining room table, away from the Stanford campus
and Avery Stadium Pool deck, I was stunned to receive word that the USOPC had
chosen me as their College Coach of the Year," said Tanner.
"Paradoxically though I could not be more honored in that we are holistic
and integrative in our approach, always focused on long term outcomes. Water
polo is the world's toughest sport, the perfect vehicle for developing lifelong
leaders for this past year's extraordinarily difficult environment and for
future challenges we will face. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by our
coaching staff, athletes current and former, Olympians past and aspiring, who
make every day here a rocket ship ride. No one got to chase their ultimate 2020
competitive aspirations, but we learned and grew so much more in the wake of
that disappointment and are grateful to have a renewed, distinct opportunity in
2021."
Tanner, in the midst
of his 24th season at the helm the Cardinal, is a six-time ACWPC National Coach
of the Year, and has guided Stanford to seven NCAA national championships in
his time on The Farm.
Tanner has spent 23
seasons at the helm of the Stanford women's water polo program where he took on
the developing program in 1998 and turned it into a nationally-ranked team that
has won seven NCAA Championship titles and five Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation Championship titles, and produced 12 Olympians and dozens of U.S.
Senior National Team members. Stanford won the most recent NCAA Championship in
2019, and Tanner was subsequently inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame
that same year.
"JT is an
amazing coach," said Ann Friedlander, Ph.D, an Adjunct Professor of Human
Biology at Stanford. "During my time engaging with the Stanford Women's
Water Polo Team as a Faculty Fellow, I have been continually impressed with his
holistic view of coaching and his ability to bring out the best in his athletes
both in the pool and in their lives. Through rigorous practice, team events,
interactions with Stanford faculty, TED Talks and bonding experiences, JT helps
his players maximize their potential as athletes, teammates, good citizens, and
future leaders. JT should also get extra
praise for keeping a sense of team spirit, high moral and focused training
(both in person and remotely) during these challenging times of COVID-19. His success in the pool is only one part of
what makes him an exceptional coach and I have enjoyed watching him in
action."
Last season, the
Cardinal owned a 15-1 record with wins over 14 ranked opponents when COVID-19
halted all sports, forcing Tanner to find creative new ways to engage his
athletes. Tanner adjusted the team's athlete-led TED talks to include
professors who inspired and sparked interest in their presentation topic. The TED
talks were created to cultivate a healthy environment and establish a platform
for individuals to share their interests with the team. Additionally, he hosted
LinkedIn and resume workshops to prepare athletes for their future and set them
up for success after their time at Stanford. His commitment extends outside of
competitions in supporting athletes Sarah Klass and Lauren Indart, who launched
Swim4Diversity, an organization dedicated to raising funds for racial justice
causes.
"JT continually
invests deeply and thoughtfully in enabling each of his players to grow to
their full potential as competitors, students and global citizens," said
Gary L. Darmstadt, MD, MS, an Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health, and
Professor of Neonatal and Developmental Pediatrics at the Stanford University
School of Medicine. "I am highly honored to participate alongside JT as
Faculty Athletic Fellow for the team in annual player-student TED talks,
faculty appreciation banquets, and mentoring many team members in career
development in the health sciences. It's a great joy and inspiration to watch
JT in action!"
Release courtesy of
Stanford Athletics
Greg Mescall
Director of
Communications, USA Water Polo
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