Club Director Daniel Ramirez – USAWP National Award Winner

Irvine, CA – April 4 – USA Water Polo is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 National Awards, honoring their excellent achievements. Established in 2010, the annual awards have each been named in honor of a person or people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the sport of water polo. Winners were chosen through a zone nomination process and then reviewed by a national selection panel. See below for a complete list of winners and their accomplishments. Awards will be presented to recipients during the upcoming Junior Olympics and Masters Nationals Championship.

Daniel Ramirez – Ted Newland Distinguished Coaching Award (Boys Developmental)
Daniel Ramirez was born and raised in San Diego, California and started playing water polo at Bud Kearns Rec. Ramirez eventually joined San Diego Shores and competed in five Junior Olympics with the club. After high school, he played two years at Grossmont College before transferring to UCSD where he walked on and played his final two years of NCAA eligibility. Ramirez started coaching at the Rec level when he was 16 years old. He coached at Mesa College, Patrick Henry, University City, Shores, and Sunset prior to moving to Portland, Oregon nine years ago with his now wife, Marla. Three years ago, Ramirez was presented with the opportunity to take over as the Club Director for LOWPO. After meeting the kids, it was clear to him that they could build something special. He feels fortunate to be surrounded by an incredible staff that shares the same goals of growing the sport of water polo in the North West while simultaneously preparing to compete at national events. In the past three years, LOWPO’s numbers have continuously grown and the club currently has about 100 athletes who compete year round with over 60 of those being 14U. Simultaneously, Ramirez has been able to elevate the level of play for his athletes in national tournaments and showcases. His goal for the club is to provide a positive environment for athletes to develop strong fundamentals and both physical and mental fortitude. He places a premium on ensuring his athletes enjoy the process, so he spends a lot of energy building community. Ramirez coaches to give back to a sport and community that has given him everything. He has a soon to be 1 year old boy named Nico who he hopes will choose to love water polo as much as he does.