Silva Named Head Women's Swim Coach and Citrus Aquatics Coordinator

Glendora, CA (Women's Swimming) -- Andrew Silva, assistant Men's Water Polo and Men's and Women's Swimming Coach at Cuesta College, has been named the Citrus College Head Women's Swimming Coach and Aquatics Coordinator. Silva will reboot the Citrus College Women's Swimming program for the Owls. He will also serve as a full-time faculty member of the Citrus College Kinesiology department, along with his duties as the Citrus College Aquatics Coordinator beginning in the fall of 2012.

"I'm excited for this opportunity," Silva said. "To restart the women's swimming program here at Citrus, and compete against and with other teams in the area and across Southern California is a great privilege."

Silva has spent the past six years as the top assistant for the very successful aquatics program at Cuesta College in San Luis Obsipo. In his time with the Cougars, Silva helped lead the Cuesta Men's Swim team to second place finishes in four seasons and the Women's Swim team to three second place finishes in the WSC in that same span.

During the 2007, 2008, and 2012 seasons, the men's squad finished in the Top 15 in the entire State including a 9th place finish in this year's California Community College Athletics Association (CCCAA) State Championships. The women garnered the same honors Top 15 in the State honors in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

"I'm looking forward to offering the opportunity to high school swimmers in the area who want to continue their college career," Silva said. "I want to build a program that competes in the Western State Conference (WSC) with the powerhouses like Ventura and Cuesta, as well as develop a consistently competitive program at the regional and state levels."

Prior to his time at Cuesta, Silva spent four years as the Head Women's Water Polo Coach at NCAA Division I Marist College. In 2006, Silva was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year and guided the Red Foxes to the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championships that same year. In 2007, Silva's squad at Marist set the program record for wins in a season and went 10-0 in MAAC play.

"Coach Silva will be an invaluable member to our Kinesiology and Athletic Departments, and we are happy to have him as a part of our staff," said Dean of Kinesiology and Athletics Jody Wise. "Silva represents the type of coach we want to have heading our program: motivated, driven, and someone who has the best interest of the student-athlete at the heart of what they do."

Along with his collegiate experience Silva also has spent time at the high school and club levels. Silva served as the Head Coach of the Boy's and Girl's Water Polo programs at San Luis Obispo High School from 1999-2002. As an assistant coach with the boy's swimming program during that time the Tigers won consecutive Northern League titles and finished second at the 2002 CIFSS Division III Finals. Silva has also been heavily involved in the Central Coast Water Polo Club for the last six years.

Silva's teaching resume is just as impressive as his coaching resume. He has served as a full-time faculty member of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for that past year and an adjunct faculty member at Cuesta College for the last two years. Silva earned his B.A. from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2002 and his M.S. also from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2010.

The Citrus College Women's Swimming program will resume competition in the Western State Conference during the 2013 season.