Coaching Staff
TOM KURTH
KANDACE WALDTHALER
Assistant Coach 4th Year California ’05
Assistant Coach 1st Year Indiana ’05
Former California center and Davis Senior High School standout Tom Kurth returned to his hometown to serve as Steve Doten’s top assistant for 2006. He now enters his fourth season on the coaching staff, having rejoined the Aggies in 2010 after a one-year hiatus. Kurth lettered four years for the Golden Bears, serving as team captain as a senior in 2005. He scored 23 goals during his career, including a career-high 12 in his senior season. Kurth also played club ball for Lamorinda, helping his team capture the bronze medal at the USWP Senior Nationals. He graduated from Cal in June 2006, earning his degree in history. Before his collegiate career, Kurth had been a first-team All-American at Davis High, helping lead the Blue Devils to four straight Sac-Joaquin Section championships. He earned section MVP honors as a senior in 2001, having scored 219 goals during his final two years. In June of 2010, Kurth married former UC Davis lacrosse great Tarryn Furr.
A 2005 All-American with Indiana, Kandace Waldthaler returned to the Davis water polo scene in 2010 as an assistant coach for both the Aggie men’s and women’s water polo. She is involved in aspects of the programs. Originally from Armijo High in Fairfield, Calif., Waldthaler earned JC All-America honors and a conference MVP nod for nearby Sierra College before embarking on her two-year career in Bloomington. As a senior, she led the Hoosiers with 55 goals, 55 drawn exclusions, five four-meter penalty shots and nine hat tricks to capture AWPCA (now ACWPC) All-America third-team distinction. While at IU, Waldthaler retained her ties with Northern California, serving as a coach at Sierra Water Polo Club in 2004 then with Davis WPC in 2005. She served at the helm of the girls’ 12-and-under squad, solidifying her ties with Aggie mentors Steve Doten and Jamey Wright. After playing pro ball for St. George of the Australian National Water Polo League, Waldthaler served as an assistant at Indiana for four years, partially while completing her masters’ studies. She received her M.S. in applied sports science in 2009. Waldthaler had also excelled as an IU undergrad, earning AWPCA All-Academic Superior accolades both years before graduating with her degree in exercise science.
Aggie Coaching History UC Davis men’s water polo fielded its first team in 1946, using what later became known as Hickey Pool as its home venue. The Aggies enjoyed success in the 1950s as a member of the Northern California Water Polo League’s ‘B’ Division. In 1963, the Far Western Conference added water polo as one of its fall sports. The Aggies won 16 of the next 19 titles, all under the guidance of Jerry Hinsdale. Coach
Years
Oscar Cook Merv Shenson Al Kelly Don Appelton/Norm Nielson Bob Sheesly Herb Schmalenberger Vern Hickey Jerry Hinsdale Jamey Wright Tom Elson Steve Doten
1946-51 1952 1953 1955 1956 1957 1958-60 1961-84, ’86-88 1985, 1989 1990-2000 2001-Present
2010 UC DAVIS MEN’S WATER POLO
MATT SORGENFREI Volunteer Assistant 1st Year Cal Poly ’07
Former Cal Poly swimmer and current UC Davis Ph.D. student Matt Sorgenfrei joins Steve Doten’s men’s water polo staff as a volunteer assistant. He will serve mostly as a team statistician. An alumnus of Palo Alto High, Sorgenfrei competed in the 400 individual medley and 400 free relay before graduating with his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He then headed northward to UC Davis, completing his M.S. in the same field in 2009. During his time in Davis, Sorgenfrei made his acquaintance with Doten and the local water polo scene as a member of the Davis WPC. Sorgenfrei enters his second year in the Ph.D. program at UC Davis. His younger brother, Mike, faced the Aggies on numerous occasions as a member of the Santa Clara water polo team.