Girls Head Coach Ky:
I played collegiate water polo at Whittier College, where I was part of back-to-back NCAA Division III Championship teams in 2015 and 2016, and competed on the Whittier College swim team from 2014 to 2018.
I graduated from Whittier College with a double major in Kinesiology and Philosophy, and earned my Master’s in Sports Management from California State University, Long Beach.
My foundation in performance development and athlete care spans over a decade. I’ve led strength and conditioning programs at an elite athlete academy, employing a science-backed, evidence-based approach to enhance athletic performance and reduce injury risk.
Currently, I manage operations at Lift Fitness Studio, where I further refine athletes' training strategies and oversee fitness programming.
Certifications & Credentials:
• NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
• USA Weightlifting Certified Coach
• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
My mission as a coach is to build skilled, resilient, and confident young athletes.
Girls Assistant Coach Sammie:
Coach Sammie is a graduate from the University of Oregon and grew up playing water polo in southern California. She played at Newport Harbor High School under the late Bill Barnett for 2 years of varsity and was a starter her senior year. She was selected for 1st team all Sunset League for Southern Section Div. 1 and was the top scorer during her senior year of high school. In college she played club for the University of Oregon where she was also selected as 1st team for the CWPA Northwest Division and was the captain her senior year. Off the pool deck she enjoys golfing, walking her dog Eddy, and spending time at the beach.
Boys Head Coach Bryan Pon
Bryan started playing water polo in high school in California, and then played two years of Division I at UC Santa Barbara. He got back into the sport in his 30s, playing mixed master’s polo in the Bay Area for years. During grad school he coached women’s club polo at UC Davis, and then high school girls polo at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose. Outside of the pool, Bryan enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with his wife and running with his dog, but spends most of his free time wrangling his three boys.
Boys Assistant Coach Max Mees