Olympian Moody Named St. Francis High School Water Polo Coach
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Two-time Olympic medalist and two-time Olympic medal-winning assistant coach Heather Moody was named the head coach of the St. Francis High School Water Polo program, Athletic Director Mark McGreevy announced.
“To be able to attract Heather and her world-class credentials to be our head coach is an indication of the quality of St. Francis High School and the reputation that has been created by our students, faculty and staff, said McGreevy. “We are excited to have Heather join our coaching staff and look forward to the impact she will have on the girls in our program.”
Moody brings an international resume to the Troubadour program both as a player and a coach. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, winning a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. She also captained the USA Water Polo team a bronze medal finish in 2004. She led the Americans to gold medals at the 2003 FINA World Championships in Barcelona and at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.
“The position at St. Francis High School is very exciting for me,” said Moody. “I hope to build on the success of the program and add a twist based on my own experiences. Sports played a major role in my life and this is a great opportunity to give back to the sport I love at a quality institution where I can have an impact on the young women in the program.”
Following her playing career, Moody served on the USA coaching staff as an assistant for the 2008 Olympic team, helping lead the team to a silver medal in Beijing. She also was a member of the gold medal staff in 2012 in London.
She recently stepped down from her post as assistant coach of the USA Women’s Senior National Team and Head Coach of the USA Women’s Junior National Team to join the American River Water Polo Club of Sacramento, where she serves as Performance Director.
Moody’s resume includes numerous international events and prestigious honors. In April 2010, she was named the head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team and has been a coach at every level of the U.S. women’s national team, including a stint as interim head coach at the 2005 FINA World Championships. In addition to being a two-time United States Water Polo Player of the Year (1999, 2001), Moody was also one of the first women to be elected into the New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame, joining 2004 Olympic teammates Natalie Golda and Nicolle Payne in 2007 as the first three women to earn the distinction.
In 2005, Moody served as Head Coach of the Women’s Senior National Team, piloting the squad to a silver medal at the FINA World Championships in Montreal. From there Moody was an Assistant Coach for the Senior National Team collaborating on a World Championship in 2007 in Melbourne.
Moody, who was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in the summer of 2010, also spent two years as an assistant for the Long Beach State program and coached at Golden West Junior College in building her coaching experience.
Moody played collegiately at San Diego State. As a member of San Diego State’s water polo team, Moody led the Aztecs to a third-place finish at the 1996 Collegiate National Championship in her only season with the Aztecs. Moody was named a first-team All-American that year and was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s Co-Player of the Year.
Moody will make her coaching debut when the Troubadours open the season at Mountain View on Sept. 13. St. Francis will hold a public reception to welcome Coach Moody to the St. Francis staff from 5-7 p.m. in the CLC Room on campus.