LEBANON, Ill. — McKendree University water polo head coach Colleen Lischwe announced the additions of Jen Liu and Jeff Passwater to the Bearcats’ coaching staff. Liu will serve as a graduate assistant and act as head coach of the men’s club team. Passwater will assist both the men’s and women’s teams.
Liu, a San Jose, Calif. native, graduated from San Jose State University this past Spring. She was a part of a program that finished nationally ranked in both 2017 and 2018. While at SJSU, she was a two-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Scholar-Athlete selection.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to work in collegiate athletes and have the potential of making a substantial impact on water polo in the Midwest,” said Liu. “Overall, I am ecstatic with what the McKendree program has to offer to our current and future student-athletes.”
Liu had great exposure to water polo through playing and coaching at various levels. Along with playing at the junior college level and masters tournaments, her experience in coaching for club, high school, and junior college all aided her in securing a starting spot and finishing her collegiate journey at SJSU.
Passwater, a St. Louis native, returns to the St. Louis area where he spent his youth playing for Daisy Water Polo Club and Lafayette High School.
“I am thrilled to come back home and have the opportunity to coach varsity college water polo.” said Passwater. “I am grateful to McKendree and Colleen for the opportunity to work with these amazing student-athletes.”
Passwater was the head coach of YCF Water Polo Club in Orlando, Fla., from 2012-2015 before moving on to become the volunteer assistant coach at Brown University in 2016. In January of 2017, Jeff was hired at University of the Pacific as the video analyst and was later promoted to assistant coach. Both men’s and women’s teams at Pacific won their conference and qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.
“Both Jeff and Jen bring great energy and a high level of water polo knowledge to McKendree. I am excited and very appreciative to add them to the coaching staff and help our teams to develop in all facets of the sport,” said Lischwe. “The student-athletes and I are very fortunate to have secured the talents of these two coaches who I am confident will fit right in to the McKendree community and elevate our level of play as a water polo program.”
Release courtesy McKendree University Athletics Communications
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