LA JOLLA, Calif. – Two-time All-American Nick Alexander is returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach with the UC San Diego women's water polo team as the announcement was made Friday by head coach Sarah Lizotte.
Alexander brings a plethora of coaching expertise across various levels to the Tritons, including collegiate and Olympic Development Team experience.
"It's an incredible honor to return to UC San Diego, a place that shaped me both in and out of the pool," said Alexander. "As a proud Triton alum, I'm thrilled to join the women's program and help build on its strong foundation. Working alongside Coach Sarah Lizotte, a close friend and fellow UC San Diego alum, makes this opportunity even more special. I can't wait to get started with this talented group and contribute to the continued growth and success of Triton water polo."
Most recently, Alexander served as the Technical Director and Age Group head coach for the Clovis Water Polo Club in California's Central Valley, a position he held since 2017. He was responsible for tailoring coaching methods through skill assessments, ensuring positive learning experiences and development. His teams posted top-12 finishes at Junior Olympics on an annual basis.
Since 2020, Alexander was the Director of Sport for Women's Water Polo and Women's Swim and Dive for the city of Clovis, Calif., where he developed and implemented a comprehensive training program to enhance athlete performance.
As head coach of the Olympic Development Program, he spearheaded the introduction of ODP camps in the Central Valley, facilitating access to vital resources like coaching expertise, practice plans, and skill development drills. He led the team to the 2025 national championship title, the first for the Central California Zone for the Youth age division. The year prior, he was tabbed Coach of the Year in USA Water Polo's Cadet age group.
In the collegiate realm, Alexander was an assistant coach at Fresno Pacific University between 2018 and 2020. While with the Sunbirds, he helped establish instructional plans for individual athletes and the team and aided in guiding student athletes' academic, personal, and athletic development.
As a four-year water polo scholar-athlete at UC San Diego, Alexander earned First Team All-America accolades in 2015 and again as a senior captain in 2016. He helped the Tritons lock down two NCAA Quarterfinal appearances as well as three Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) titles. In 2015, Alexander merited WWPA Championship MVP honors. He was also a two-time All-WWPA and All-WWPA Championship player.
Alexander graduated from UC San Diego in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. He held minors in Business and Sociology. A three-time Academic All-American, he founded the NCAA Division I Student Leadership Group and was a member of the Triton Athletic Council.
Alexander earned a Master's Degree in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific in 2020.
"I couldn't be more excited to bring Nick back home to UC San Diego," said Lizotte. "Being a Triton isn't just something you say - you live it, and Nick already understands that. As a UC San Diego men's water polo alum, he knows the pride, the standard, and the expectations here. I trust him, and I know he's going to help us set the tone and build the foundation for who we are and where we're going as a program."
The Tritons begin their 2026 season on Jan. 17 at Pomona-Pitzer.
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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 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.
