John Loughran

Position: Head Coach Experience: 6th Year

John Loughran enters his sixth year as head coach of the men's water polo program at Loyola Marymount University. Loughran, who has made significant contributions to all three aquatics programs at LMU, came to Los Angeles after five years as head coach for the men's and women's water polo and women's swim teams at Queens College in Flushing, N.Y.. At LMU, his duties include coaching the men's and women's water polo teams as well as the women's swim team.

The Lions have made significant improvements in each of Loughran's three seasons in Westchester. After posing a 9-17 record in 1997, LMU went 16-14 in 1998 and finished fifth in the Western Water Polo Association tournament. This past season was the most fruitful in the history of LMU men's water polo, resulting in a school-best 22-9 record and No. 15 ranking in the final United States Water Polo poll. The Lions placed third at the 1999 WWPA tournament, and recorded a thrilling overtime victory over nonconference power US Santa Barbara. Loughran also guided the 2000 LMU women's water polo team to a No. 13 national ranking, highest in the program's three-year varsity history.

Prior to arriving at Loyola Marymount, Loughran led the Queens College men's water polo team to a 75-63 overall record in five seasons. Queens posted a 25-7 mark in 1995 and a 20-5 record in 1996, and won the College Water Polo Association (CWPA) North Division title both years. Queens finished each of Loughran's last two seasons ranked 15th nationally, the highest rankings in program history.

Following the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Loughran garnered Eastern Championship co-Coach of the Year honors and received CWPA North Division Coach of the Year accolades in 1994, 1995 and 1996.

The women's swim team at Queens won the dual meet title for the Metropolitan Collegiate Swim Conference (MCSC) in each of Loughran's last three years. The team finished sixth at the MCSC Championships in the spring of 1997.

In 1993, Loughran initiated the women's water polo program at Queens College. The team played at the cub level in its first two campaigns before moving on to the varsity level in 1996. After posting an 8-4 record in its inaugural year of collegiate competition, Loughran guided the team to a second place finish in the New York Division of the CWPA with a 13-3 mark in 1997.

In addition to his duties at Queens College, Loughran served as Aquatics Director at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, N.Y., for two years.

A 1990 graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, he was a four-year letterwinner on the water polo and swim teams. As a freshman in 1985, Loughran helped lead the water polo team to the NCAA Tournament and a No. 10 national ranking, the highest in school history.

A native of Greenwich, Conn., Loughran was a second-team High School All-American in water polo and won the state swim titles in the 200 and 500 freestyle as a senior.

Loughran resides in Venice, Calif., and has a bachelor's degree in history from Loyola of Chicago. He also spent time working towards a master's degree in secondary education while at Queens College.