NORTON, Mass. – Kaylee Kastrup has been named Associate Head Coach for both the Men's Water Polo and Women's Water Polo programs at Wheaton College (Mass.), it was announced today by Gavin Viano, Associate Vice President for Athletics & Strategic Programs.
Kastrup will join Head Coach GT Ladd to guide Wheaton's Water Polo programs. The men's squad is on the cusp of games in its first varsity regular season slate in 2024, while the women's team played 13 contests during its inaugural campaign last spring.
"I'm excited to welcome Kaylee Kastrup to Wheaton College Water Polo as Associate Head Coach," said Ladd. "Kaylee is a top notch water polo coach whose character, leadership and enthusiasm for the game will help the Wheaton College's Men's and Women's Water Polo teams achieve their ambitious goals."
Kastrup makes her way further East, following a two-year stint as an Assistant Coach for Division I Siena College Women's Water Polo. While with the Saints, Kastrup saw the squad increase its win total each season, culminating in the program's highest win total since 2019. In addition, Siena was recognized with a school-record 11 weekly awards by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in Kastrup's final season with the school.
Prior to her time on the East Coast, Kastrup established herself as one of the best coaches on the West Coast on the club circuit. The Oceanside, California native spent over a decade coaching for the San Diego Shores Water Polo Club and guided her respective teams to four top-five finishes at the Junior Olympic National Championship, including a title in 2012 with the 16U Girls A Team and in 2019 as the mentor for the 12U Coed Team. Following years of great success, it was no surprise that Kastrup was the recipient of the USA Water Polo Brett Bohlender Distinguished Coaching Award in 2022. In addition, Kastrup was also an Assistant Coach for the Bishop's School Girls' and Boys' programs and helped lead each of those teams to multiple appearances in the California Interscholastic Federation Championship, resulting in crowns for the girls' team in 2016, 2017 and four straight titles from 2019-22, while helping the boys' capture the championship in 2019.
The West Coast product also spent time as the Pacific Southwest Zone Olympic Development Team Head Coach with the USA Water Polo Development Program from 2015-18 and coached with the Darkside Water Polo master's program in San Diego.
Kastrup made waves of her own at the collegiate level as a four-year standout for California Lutheran University, where she was a two-year Captain and graduated with a degree in Exercise Science in 2015. Her success in the classroom was outstanding, earning her All-Academic honors from the Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Association all four years. Kastrup also earned a Master's Degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University (Calif.) in 2016 and reaffirmed her commitment to the importance of nutrition with four years of education at the International Institute for Nutrition and Health.
