Courtesy: Indiana Athletics
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass announced on Saturday the hiring of Taylor Dodson as the head coach of the Indiana water polo program.
“Taylor brings a tremendous track record of success, both as a highly-accomplished student-athlete and as an intercollegiate and Team USA coach,” said Glass. “She’s demonstrated a commitment to developing young women athletically, academically and personally, and we’re thrilled to have her lead our water polo program into a new, exciting era.”
Dodson has served as an assistant coach for the Hoosiers the past two seasons, as well as serving as an assistant coach for the USA Water Polo National Team since 2017.
“I am honored and humbled to be the new head coach for the IU Women’s Water Polo program,” Dodson remarked. “Fred Glass is an extraordinary leader and I am thrilled to join his faculty of head coaches. Our athletic department is dedicated to developing successful student-athletes in and out of the pool. I look forward to executing our vision for the program athletically, academically and in our community.”
Along with helping guide the Indiana water polo program the past two seasons, Dodson has had tremendous success with the USA Water Polo Senior Women’s National “B” Team and Women’s Youth National Team.
Dodson helped lead the senior team to a first-place finish at the FISU World University Games in 2017 and the youth team to a seventh-place finish at the FINA Youth World Championships in 2018.
From 2015-17, Dodson served a graduate assistant coach and director of operations at Wagner College. In Dodson’s first year as Wagner’s graduate assistant coach, the Seahawks won their third consecutive MAAC Championship to enter the field for the 2016 NCAA Championship.
In her second year, Dodson helped Wagner become the first program to win four consecutive MAAC water polo titles. Additionally, Dodson cultivated an All-American season from Wagner junior Kimberly Watson (102 goals, 31 assists), who was also named the MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Dodson played one professional season for Club Water Polo Dos Hermanas outside of Sevilla, Spain following an outstanding collegiate career at the University of California, Berkeley.
Donning the co-captain’s cap her senior year, Dodson guided Cal to a silver medal at the 2011 NCAA Championships, topping a bronze finish in the year prior. At Cal, Dodson was a four-time NCAA Academic All-American and made the UC Berkeley Student Athlete Honors List all four years.
Dodson graduated from Cal Berkley in 2013 with a degree in Media Studies. She went on to earn her M.B.A. in Marketing from Wagner in 2017.