Shana Welch was hired in June of 2020 as the first dedicated coach for the Women's Water Polo program since 2008 on the heels of six tremendous seasons at the Beach in various coaching roles.

The rapid rise of the program under Welch’s leadership continued in the 2024 campaign. Long Beach State finished the season tied for sixth in the national rankings, the highest finish for the program since 2005 behind a 22-9 overall record and a 5-1 league march. The Beach had three All-Americans including leading scorer and second-team All-American Lara Luka who set a Long Beach State single-season record with 88 goals.

Under Welch, Long Beach State has continued a tradition of preparing players for international competition, with players from the Beach continuing to represent their countries at the FINA World Championships and beyond. That reached a new level recently as two former players under Welch, Orsi Hertzka and Marilia Mimides, represented France and Canada respectively at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

In 2023, Welch led Long Beach State to one of its most successful campaigns in recent history, going 18-8, tied for the second-most wins in program history along the way to a Top 10 national finish for the eighth time in program history. The No. 8 final ranking was the highest for the program in ten years behind the efforts of Welch and three All-Americans, third team selection Elia Portillo and Honorable Mentions Matina Cardona and Rachael Kowalchick.

Welch completed her first full season in 2022, welcoming back a full roster and leading the team to a Top 10 finish nationally, ranking No. 9 at the end of the year. That came on the heels of a shortened 2021 campaign in her first full season as the head coach of the program.

In 2020, Welch served as the Associate Head Coach for the program but had additional responsibilities, running the day-to-day coaching and operations of the program while Gavin Arroyo worked with the USA Men's National Team. While the promising campaign was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, Long Beach State posted a 12-6 record and were unbeaten in Big West competition, while going unbeaten at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.

Welch was brought on as an assistant coach during the 2019 campaign following four seasons as a Volunteer Assistant Coach with the program. She becomes the first head coach solely for the program since the departure of Catherine Von Schwarz following the 2008 season.

Coming from an athletic background, Welch played four seasons with the Michigan Wolverines from 2003-07, setting records with her offensive talent. In 2005 she tallied 84 goals, which is a single-season record for the Wolverines and she also had 297 career goals. Welch was also a member of the U-M all-decade team, a third team All-American selection if 2005, and a two-time honorable mention All-American in 2006 and 2007.

Welch was also named the CWPA Division MVP three times throughout her collegiate career, including being named the 2005 Rookie of the Year. Welch was also nominated for CWPA Player of the Week nine times. She was also a big part of the 2005 team that made the NCAA Championship and the 2004-2007 teams that achieved four consecutive division crowns. She was recognized for her outstanding career in 2016 as a CWPA Hall of Fame Inductee.

Following her collegiate career, Welch went on to play professional water polo in both Australia and Greece. Welch also added coaching experience to her belt having coached at Harvard and Bucknell University, serving as assistant coach at both schools.

In addition to earning her Bachelor's degree from Michigan, Welch completed a Master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration at Concordia-Irvine in 2019.

Name	Title	Phone	Email Address
Shana Welch	Head Coach	985-8279	Shana.Welch@csulb.edu
Katie Card Neidermire	Assistant Coach		Kaitlyn.Neidermire@csulb.edu
Robyn Gordin	Assistant Coach		Robyn.Gordin@csulb.edu

Long Beach State University Athletics

2026 Women's Water Polo Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff