LA JOLLA, Calif. — Former UC San Diego men's water polo standout Arman Momdzhyan is returning to the program as an assistant coach. The announcement was made Wednesday by head coach Matt Ustaszewski.

"I am incredibly excited that Arman will be joining our coaching staff," said Ustaszewski. "He was an amazing player for us as a team captain and two-time NCAA Player of the Year. However, his pursuit to become a collegiate coach is what makes me so fired up for him to be working with our current and future scholar-athletes. His work ethic, dedication, and commitment to developing high-level water polo players, both in the pool and the classroom, will be a valuable asset to our program. We are thrilled to be welcoming Arman back home to UC San Diego!"

Momdzhyan played for UC San Diego for two seasons after transferring from Los Angeles Valley College. He was named the Association of Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) NCAA Division II Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. Momdzhyan also earned ACWPC All-America Division II First Team as well as All-Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) First Team accolades in each of his seasons with the Tritons. Over 43 career games, he scored 98 goals and added 16 assists for 114 points. His 44 goals in 2016 led the team and his 54 goals in 2017 were second on the Triton roster. Momdzhyan led UC San Diego to back-to-back WWPA titles and a No. 9 national ranking.

"I am extremely excited to get to work at my alma mater and help develop scholar-athletes into contributing members of our world, providing the life skills and lessons that helped mold me through the sport of water polo," said Momdzhyan.

The Glendale, Calif., native graduated from UC San Diego in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in human developmental sciences. He earned a master's in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific.

Most recently, Momdzyhan served as the technical director and head coach of the La Jolla United Water Polo Club where he trains over 300 players between the ages of 7 to 19. From 2019-21, he was the head men's water polo coach and a member of the Adjunct Exercise - Science Faculty at Miramar College in San Diego. He led the Jets to their first conference championship appearance in program history and was tabbed the Pacific Coast Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2021.

UC San Diego begins its 2022 campaign by hosting the Triton Invitational Sept. 3-4 at Canyonview Aquatic Center. Click here for the team's complete season schedule.
 
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.