LA JOLLA, Calif. – Four-time Triton All-American and former professional player Sarah Lizotte  has been named head coach of the UC San Diego women's water polo program. The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics made the announcement Thursday. 

Lizotte served as an assistant coach with the Tritons during the 2025 season. A marquis player for UC San Diego between 2011 and 2014, Lizotte is the program's all-time leader in goals and assists. The Riverside, Calif., native earned Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) First Team All-America status following each of her four seasons.

Lizotte replaces Brad Kreutzkamp, who retired in August after serving 16 seasons as the Tritons' head coach. Kreutzkamp accumulated over 300 wins during his tenure.

"Stepping into the role of head coach at UC San Diego is both an honor and a responsibility I deeply value," said Lizotte. "As a proud alumna, this opportunity is deeply personal. This program shaped me and now I have the chance to help shape its future. It's important to me to invest in the growth of our athletes, not only as fierce competitors but as young women who will carry forward the legacy of UC San Diego women's water polo."

In 2025, Lizotte helped UC San Diego post an 18-12 overall record and a 4-3 mark in Big West action. For the third-straight year, the team advanced to the Big West Championship semifinals.

Prior to returning to her alma mater, Lizotte was an assistant coach for the UCLA men's and women's programs. She assisted in developing and executing practice plans and game strategies to improve team performance while mentoring and guiding players to help them reach their full potential. Lizotte also had a hand in recruiting top performing athletes both nationally and internationally.

With Lizotte on the bench, the Bruins won a national title on the women's side in 2024.

Lizotte served as the head coach of the Canyon Crest Academy varsity girls team (2012-2015) and was an assistant coach with the Cathedral Catholic High School boys varsity team (2012-2015), which won a pair of CIF titles during her tenure. Both schools are located in San Diego.

Between 2010 and 2015, Lizotte was the head coach and director of the youth program at the Del Mar Water Polo Club in San Diego.

As a professional player, Lizotte spent eight seasons (2015-2023) with Club Esportiu Mediterrani, based in Barcelona, Spain. A six-time team captain, Lizotte helped the squad classify and compete in the European Champions League.

While in Europe, Lizotte was the USA Sports Relations Manager at the Barcelona International Water Polo Academy where she was involved in international sales, marketing, and communications.

She is also the founder of the Lizotte International Sports Agency in Barcelona (2020-2023), which aided in recruitment consultation, event production, and athlete management.

Lizotte holds the top-three spots on UC San Diego's single-season goals list with 92 in 2014 and 2013 and 91 in 2012. She finished her career with 321 goals and 176 assists. In addition to her All-America selections, Lizotte was the ACWPC NCAA Division II Player of the Year as a junior and again as a senior. She was also tabbed the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Year during those two campaigns.

The Tritons won WWPA titles 2011, 2013, and 2014 and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons.

Lizotte graduated from UC San Diego in 2014 with a degree in Communications. She minored in Business at UC San Diego's Rady School of Business.

"I'm incredibly grateful to our athletics department, our alumni, and the San Diego community for their endless support - you are the heartbeat of this program," said Lizotte. "This is more than a new chapter for me, it's an opportunity for all of us to grow, compete, and achieve together."

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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.