USA Water Polo honored Daniel Leyson, head coach of the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club, at its annual awards dinner and water polo assembly in January. Leyson received the Bill Barnett Distinguished Men’s Coaching Award for serving as the driving force in the development and success of the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club.

Under the leadership of Leyson the Rose Bowl Water Polo program has grown to more than 200 members (fourth-12th grades) from 72 area schools in the past five years. As coach of the 16U and 18U boys, Leyson had teams among the top 10 at the Junior Olympics while also claiming first place at the South Florida International Tournament, US Club Championships, and the City of Commerce International Tournament.  Leyson also guided the 16U squad to a first place in the Iron League where a Rose Bowl athlete was named MVP. With a focus on development both in and out of the pool, Leyson saw five Rose Bowl players graduate into Division 1 last year alone and go on to play at the university level at USC, UCLA, Naval Academy, Pepperdine to name a few. He has also been very instrumental in guiding both boys and girls through the Olympic Development Program (ODP), with one youth and one junior player advancing to the national level.

  daniel leyson, water polo coach honored