Courtesy: UCSB Athletics
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara women’s water polo team has named Sarah Kreiser as an assistant on the coaching staff, head coach Serela Kay announced.
Kreiser joins the Gaucho coaching staff after most recently spending the 2020-21 season in multiple coaching roles at Laguna Beach High School, SET Water Polo Club, and Laguna Beach Water Polo Club.
“We are thrilled to bring back one of our very own Gaucho alumni in Sarah Kreiser. She was a member of the 2016 Big West Championship team and since then has had the opportunity to play abroad, earn a Master’s degree, and coach with one of the best high school and club teams in the country. It is exciting for her to come full circle and lead the Gauchos as a coach. Her passion for the Gauchos, knowledge of the game, and championship mindset will allow us to continue our journey towards another championship,” said Kay.
“The UCSB Women’s Water Polo program has had a huge impact on shaping me into the athlete and person I am today. It’s an honor to return to the Gaucho family. I am looking forward to working with Coach Kay in bringing up the next generation of Gaucho champions! I am so grateful and excited to begin coaching at the next level at UCSB,” added Kreiser.
After graduating from UCSB with a degree in History of Art and Architecture, Kreiser continued her education in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews, where she earned a Master’s degree with Merit in Art History.
While abroad, she played a season for the St. Andrews women’s water polo team as well as for Coventry City Water Polo in the British Water Polo League. As a player at St. Andrews, she earned Half Blue Distinction honors for Excellence in Sporting. She also served on the coaching staff at St. Andrews for the second team competing in the 1A league.
A member of the Gaucho water polo team for four years from 2015-2019, Kreiser earned Academic All-Conference honors in Winter and Spring 2017, while leading the team in field blocks that same year. She was a team captain in both the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, and she picked up All-Big West second team honors in 2018. In total, she scored 113 goals, assisted on 55, racked up 111 steals, and collected 47 field blocks in her time at UCSB.