CBU Athletics

Kevin Rosa was named the California Baptist University men's water polo head coach in 2015. He was named the Western Water Polo Association Coach of the Year in back-to-back season in 2019 and 2020. 

Over nine years, Rosa has led the Lancers to a 192-119 record and guided the program to back-to-back Western Water Polo Association Championship games in 2020-21. CBU won its first-ever WWPA title and made the school's first NCAA Championship appearance in the 2020 season before doing it again in 2024 after winning the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship for the program's second appearance at the NCAA Tournament.

CBU has defeated 49 ranked teams under Rosa, including 13 victories over top-10 squads. The Lancers have finished the last seven seasons ranked in the NCAA's top 16 and ended the 2024 season ranked a program-best 9th in the NCAA after finishing 2020 ranked sixth in the shortened season.   

CBU players have combined for 15 All-Americans, 34 All-Conference honors split between five All-WCC honorees and 29 All-WWPA honorees in nine years under Rosa. Five All-America accolades in 2015 set yet another program record for such awards in a single season.

The 2024 season proved to be one of the most successful in recent years after Rosa lead his program back to the NCAA Tournament with an impressive WCC Tournament win in Northern California. The squad defeated the one-seeded University of the Pacific for a ticket to the tournament finale and the Lancers bested San Jose State University for the WCC Championship. The Lancers put up a stiff fight against two-seeded USC, but ultimately fell 17-13 to close out the historic season. Toring Stanley, Caleb Teraoka, and Bodhi Bowden were all named All-Americans. 

The 2023 season saw the emergence of the West Coast Conference era and the Lancers were one of seven members of the brand-new water polo conference alongside Pepperdine, Santa Clara, Pacific, Air Force, San Jose State and LMU. The Lancers first major highlight of the season came in the opening weekend of competition when they downed 7th-ranked UC Santa Barbara, the highest ranked opponent CBU had ever taken down to that point in program history. They also claimed the first-ever WCC conference game win in a thrilling 15-14 triple overtime win over Santa Clara at the Lancer Aquatics Center on October 5. 

Other highlights from 2023 include the squads first-ever win over then 15th-ranked Pacific in Stockton on October 14, and finishing the regular season with their eighth consecutive winning record. The Lancers came into the WCC Tournament as the 4-seed, dispatching Santa Clara in the opening round to set up a match against top-seeded and 5th-ranked Pepperdine. The Lancers were unstoppable in that game, defeating the Waves 20-13 for the first-time in program history, claiming the highest-ranked upset ever for CBU, and earning a spot the in ingaural WCC Tournament Championship game. The Lancers would hold San Jose State to just nine goals, but an heroic effort by the SJSU goalkeeper held CBU to just six goals to come up just short of their second trip to the NCAA postseason.

In 2022, the Lancers finished 23-13 and set their DI program record for wins with 23. CBU defeated four ranked opponents on the season and beat Air Force 10-9 in the WWPA Championships. 

Prior to CBU, Rosa had spent the previous 13 years as a high school water polo coach in his home town. The Riverside native and resident has been entrenched in the Riverside water polo scene for about two decades. He spent his collegiate playing days at Riverside Community College and the University of Redlands after graduating from Arlington High in 1998. He went on to coach water polo at John W. North and Martin Luther King.

At King, Rosa coached his team to a CIF Southern Section Division III Boys' Water Polo Championship in 2012, with the help of CBU goalie Joseph Moorman in the cage, earning Coach of the Year honors from the Inland Empire Area, CIF-SS D-III and Big VIII League in 2012 as a result. He was also selected as the Big VIII League and Inland Empire Area Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2009, respectively.

From 2002 to 2014, Rosa had been coaching high school aquatics programs in at least one capacity. From 2002 to 2006, he led the boys' and girls' water polo programs at JW North and he has been apart of three different programs at King since 2006, most notably the boys' water polo program. He also coached the boys' swimming team at King and was in charge of the girls' water polo squad for five years (2009-13). He played water polo collegiately at Redlands (2000-02) and Riverside Community College (1998-2000) after graduating from Arlington High in 1998. He also played on the SoCal Club water polo team from 1992 to 1997.

As a player, Rosa was inducted into the Redlands Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 and was put on the Riverside City Sports Wall of Fame in 2003. He was voted the United States Division III Water Polo Player of the Year and SCIAC MVP in 2001. Rosa graduated from Redlands with a bachelors in biology in 2002 and earned his a masters in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2006.

		OVERALL			CONFERENCE
YEAR	SCHOOL	W	L	PERCENT	W	L	PERCENT	CONF.
2015	CBU	17	14	54.8	1	5	16.7	WWPA
2016	CBU	22	11	66.7	4	3	57.1	WWPA
2017	CBU	21	14	60.0	4	3	57.1	WWPA
2018	CBU	22	12	64.7	5	2	71.4	WWPA
2019	CBU	17	15	53.1	4	3	57.1	WWPA
2020	CBU	7	5	58.3	0	2	0	WWPA
2021	CBU	20	14	58.8	6	2	75	WWPA
2022	CBU	23	13	63.9	4	4	50.0	WWPA
2023	CBU	20	18	52.6	3	3	50.0	WCC
2024	CBU	23	13	63.9	3	3	50.0	WCC
California Baptist		192	129	59.8