In 11 seasons as head coach, Chris Oeding has returned the Long Beach City College water polo program to its powerhouse status that it was known for in the 1960s.

And it’s no coincidence that the man who coached those dominant teams, Monte Nitzkowski, was one of Oeding’s coaches while a member of the U.S. National Water Polo team.

Last season (2010), he led the men's squad to a third-place finish at the state championships while the women finished second at the state tournament. The LBCC men compiled a 22-9 overall record on their way to a South Coast Conference title. The Lady Vikings also captured a conference championship and closed the year with a 28-6 mark.

In 2006, Oeding completed his most successful season yet at LBCC, leading both the men’s and women’s squads to state championships.

His women’s squad finished up 2006 with a 32-4 overall record on their way to the state title, while the men compiled a 30-3 mark to capture the team’s second straight state championship.

For his standout seasons, Oeding was named California Coach of the Year as well as South Coast Conference all-sports coach of the year.

Oeding enters the 2011 season with an 11-year LBCC career record of 271-83-1 (.766 winning percetage) in men’s competition and 301-66-0 (.820) in women’s action.

He’s won three women’s state titles (2003, 2004, 2006) while his men’s 2006 state championship was his second (2005). Oeding has led his men’s squad to nine state final four finishes (2001-06, 2008-10) and nine consecutive women’s top-four showings (2002-10).

Prior to his arrival at LBCC, Oeding was the men’s water polo head coach at Orange Coast College for five seasons and also coached women’s water polo and both swim teams. While at OCC, he was twice named Orange Empire Conference Coach of the Year (1998, 1999) and led his team to conference titles in 1997 and 1999.

As a player, his standout credentials date back to his prep career. He was a three-time high school All-American while at Corona Del Mar High School and in 1988 was named CIF Player of the Year.

From there he went on to play at Cal (Berkeley) where he was a three-time All-American and helped lead the Golden Bears to three straight NCAA championships. In 1992, he was named NCAA Co-Player of the Year.

From 1993-2000, Oeding was a member of the U.S. National Water Polo team and was selected team captain in 1997. He competed in two Olympics and helped the U.S. finish seventh at the 1996 Atlanta games and sixth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Oeding received his bachelor’s degree from Cal in 1994 and earned his master’s from Azusa Pacific. He is also the head coach of LBCC’s men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams.

Former standout water polo player Dave Kasa returns for his 11th season as a member of Chris Oeding’s LBCC coaching staff.

Kasa has played a key role in the success of the LBCC aquatics program since his arrival and serves as the primary coach for the men’s water polo team. The Long Beach men have compiled a 255-72 overall record during his time with the program.

Kasa was named the 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2010 South Coast Conference men’s water polo Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to conference titles.

Kasa was also an assistant coach for Oeding at Orange Coast College for one season in 1999. He also served as head coach for the boy’s and girl’s water polo and swimming teams at Canyon High School for three years (1997-2000). While at Canyon, he was twice named Century League Coach of the Year.

His coaching experience also extends to the club level. From 1996-99, Kasa was head coach of the ORCA club team and led the squad to back-to-back national championships in 1998 and 1999.

As a player, Kasa earned All-American, All-Southern California, and All-Orange Empire Conference honors in 1994 for Orange Coast. In his freshman season in 1992, Kasa was a member of Golden West College’s state championship squad.

During his prep career at Canyon, Kasa twice earned All-CIF honors and three times was named All-Century League. He was a member of the 1991 U.S. national youth team and in 1988 earned Junior Olympic All-American honors.