Jeff Phelps is entering his third season as assistant coach for the VMI water polo squad, teaming up with his wife, Anna. Prior to the 2013-14 season, he also became an assistant with the swimming and diving program. He arrives on Post boasting impressive credentials both in the pool, and outside the pool.
Phelps started his water polo career playing for the nationally recognized Chehalem Water Polo Club under Coach Jim McMaster. He was selected as a member of the National Youth team and later spent time with the National Junior team.
His collegiate water polo career began in 1991 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where his team was undefeated in league play for the two years he attended. He earned all-league selections during both seasons and was honored as Scholar Athlete of the Year twice. After transferring to Claremont McKenna College to finish his degree in economics, Phelps was part of the historic “100-0” team at CMC, where the men capped a run of undefeated league play which began in the mid-eighties, tallying over 100 consecutive league victories during that time period. While at CMC, Phelps earned SCIAC all-league honors and was voted to the WWPA all-tournament team in both the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
His coaching career at Claremont McKenna College began in 1996 by assisting Mike Sutton with the CMC Men’s team and acted as Head Coach of the Junior Varsity team during the 1997 season. Phelps also was given the opportunity to assist the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women’s program in 1997 as well.
Upon relocating to Portland, Ore., in 2002 Phelps began building the Lincoln High School water polo team with his wife and VMI head coach, Anna. Together they worked for eight years, developing the fledgling club into a respected and successful program that has spawned numerous All-America selections as well as current and future collegiate and national team candidates.
In the last three years Phelps has been recognized by his peers with two Men’s Coach of the Year awards and one Women’s Coach of the Year award. Phelps was asked to start a water polo program for the Central Oregon community of Bend during the summer of 2010 which continues to thrive under the direction of Coach Doug Watt to this day. Additionally, he will continue to participate in the Olympic Development Program as a coach, and will continue to lead the Cadet Zone team from the Northeast in 2012.
He and his wife and the team’s head coach, Anna, welcomed their first child into the world, Sterling Hewitt Phelps, on August 30 of this year.
