Maureen Cole was named the new head women's water polo coach for the Rainbow Wahine on July 29, 2011. Cole previously served as a UH assistant for the last five seasons, a period of unprecedented success for the program.
“I am very excited and deeply honored to take the lead of this great program and look forward to working with the athletes, the departmental staff and the community in continuing the winning tradition of Rainbow Wahine water polo,” Cole said.
Cole is the fourth coach in the 13-year history of the water polo program. She first arrived on the UH campus in 2007 as an assistant under former head coach Michel Roy. In her five seasons as an assistant, she helped elevate the team as perennial contender in the ultra-competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. In the last five seasons, the Rainbow Wahine have notched 92 victories, including back-to-back third-place conference finishes in 2010 and '11.
In 2009 the team advanced to the NCAA Championships in College Park, Md, and finished fourth in the nation. UH has never finished lower than sixth nationally during her tenure, while the Rainbow Wahine have garnered 15 All-America citations—including multiple picks in each season—during that same stretch.
“Coach Mo brings intense dedication and commitment to our water polo program,” said
Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, UH's Senior Woman Administrator. “We compete against the very best and that intensity will serve us well. An elite player in her own right, she knows what it takes to be one of the best. We look forward to the continued success of the program and maintain very high expectations. It's not every day we can elevate an assistant coach to the head role and we know she will work tirelessly to provide our student-athletes the kind of experience they are looking for.
As we head into the 40th year of Rainbow Wahine Athletics we welcome our newest head coach. We believe she will carry on our proud tradition and honor the legacies of the late Dr. Donnis Thompson and Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink.”
Prior to coaching, the former Maureen Flanagan, enjoyed a decorated playing career at the high school, collegiate and international levels. She is a 1999 graduate of Punahou School where she was a standout swimmer and water polo player. During her prep career, Cole led the Buffanblu to four straight league titles in water polo and was the team MVP all four years. She was the 1997 and '99 recipient of the Leslie Kerfoot Award presented to the Most Valuable Hawaiian Female in the Hawaiian Invitational Water Polo Tournament. Cole was also a champion swimmer at Punahou, winning the state titles in the 50 free and 100 free.
Cole went on to play collegiate water polo at UCLA where she served as a key member of three Bruin national title teams in 2000, '01, and '03 squad. In 2003 she earned All-America honors. The former defensive specialists and driver also excelled in the classroom and was a four-time Academic All-American.
Still as a collegiate athlete, she enjoyed two successful stints on the national team. She led the junior national team to the Pan-American and Junior World championships from 2000-02. Cole then spent the 2003-04 seasons as a part of the senior national team and made it to the final selections for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team that participated in Athens, Greece.
Cole began her coaching career at the Hawaiian Islands Water Polo Club where she has coached several of the state's top prep water polo players for the last 12 years. She gained her first collegiate coaching experience at UCLA, where she remained with the Bruins as an undergraduate assistant for its 2005 undefeated (35-0) championship season. She graduated from UCLA in 2005, earning her bachelors degree in business/economics.
She currently resides in Honolulu, O`ahu with her husband, Doug, and her nine-month old-son, VanZandt.
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