Sean Morphy begins his sixth season with the Gannon water polo program in 2018-19, but his fourth as the head coach. Morphy assumed the reigns in 2015 after longtime head coach Don Sherman resigned to concentrate solely on his duties as Associate Director of Athletics.
Morphy needed little time to gain traction, leading the Gannon men’s water polo program to a 31-13 overall record and 14-0 conference mark during the last two seasons. Overall, his three-year slate includes a 37-23 overall record and 17-2 conference mark.
Academically, Gannon has been ranked among the nation’s best in team grade point average during Morphy’s tenure. The men’s program had the 12th-highest team GPA in NCAA Division II last season with a 3.16 mark. Eight Golden Knights were named to the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic team, giving the program 14 honors during the last two years. Six were listed among the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athletes, pushing that total to 12 in two years. In addition, Michael Squeglia was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Men’s At-Large Academic All-District II first team in 2016-17, before advancing to the All-America third team.
Morphy was honored for his success last year, earning his second consecutive MAWPC Western Region Men’s Coach of the Year award after guiding the Golden Knights to an 18-8 overall record and perfect 7-0 conference mark. The 18 wins broke the previous program record of 16 set in 2003. Gannon also picked up significant hardware during the season, winning the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division II Championship for the first time since 2014. The squad won a school-record 16 consecutive matches at one point, culminating with a MAWPC Western Region Championship.
Zarko Sadikovic had a break-out campaign under Morphy’s tutelage. The redshirt junior was named MVP of both the MAWPC Western Region Championship and CWPA Division II Championship. He also earned all-america and all-conference first-team accolades. Brett Rehrer and Nick Williams joined Sadikovic on the all-conference first team.
The Gannon women’s water polo program was just as strong academically last season. The Lady Knights posted the 50th-highest team grade point average in NCAA Division II with a 3.04 mark. Seven members were named to the both ACWPC and PSAC All-Academic teams.
In the pool, Campbell Ruh made a name for herself across the country last season. She earned all-america honorable-mention accolades after landing a spot on the All-Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) first team.
Gannon student-athletes have been named PSAC Scholar-Athletes 38 times during Morphy’s first three seasons at the helm. Additional academic honors during that time span include ACWPC All-Academic 27 times, Academic All-District twice and Academic All-America once. In the water, Gannon water polo student-athletes have been named to an all-conference team 13 times. They have also been selected conference players of the week eight times and reached the all-america level six times.
“I’m really excited to become the head coach of the Gannon water polo program,” said Morphy upon his hiring. “I know both the women’s and men’s teams have been built for future success. The Gannon community has always been like family to me and the athletics department’s desire to strive for success and continue building great relationships is something I have always enjoyed about the University.”
The Gannon men’s water polo team finished runner-up at the CWPA Division II Championships during his first season at the helm, dropping a tight one-goal decision during the finals. Academically, six Golden Knights were named to the ACWPC Academic Honor Roll.
Squeglia highlighted the individual honors, earning CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team honors for his classroom efforts and ACWPA All-America honorable-mention accolades for his play in the pool. Rehrer was named 2015 CWPA Rookie of the Year under Morphy’s guidance.
Morphy stepped into the head coaching position after serving as Gannon’s top assistant for the previous two seasons. The former Gannon standout brings 11 years of coaching experience to the deck, including six years as an assistant coach at Cathedral Prep (Pa.) High School where he earned all-america second-team honors as a high school student-athlete. The Ramblers finished third at the 2012 state championships with Morphy on the staff.
A four-year letterwinner at Gannon from 2001-04, Morphy is a familiar name to local water polo fans. The former goalkeeper still remains No. 1 all-time at Gannon in career saves (993) and career steals (228). His save total is 189 more than the next goalkeeper in school history.
Morphy owned four of the top six single-season save totals in school history upon graduation, including the top mark at the time of 283 as a sophomore in 2002. He also ranks seventh in career assists (85), but was third on that chart upon graduation.
Morphy graduated from Gannon in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts. He came back to his alma mater in June of 2013 as the Media Center Director, serving in that position until becoming the water polo head coach. In addition, Morphy has been a creative director for Linear LLC since 2009.
| Men |
|
Overall |
Conference |
|
| Season |
Wins |
Losses |
Winning % |
Wins |
Losses |
Winning % |
Postseason |
| 2015 |
6 |
10 |
.375 |
3 |
2 |
.600 |
CWPA DII Championship Runner-Up |
| 2016 |
13 |
5 |
.722 |
7 |
0 |
1.000 |
3rd at MAWPC Western Region Championship |
| 2017 |
18 |
8 |
.692 |
7 |
0 |
1.000 |
CWPA DII Champs
MAWPC Western Region Champs
7th at MAWPC Championship |
| Career |
37 |
23 |
.617 |
17 |
2 |
.895 |
|
| Women |
|
Overall |
Conference |
|
| Season |
Wins |
Losses |
Winning % |
Wins |
Losses |
Winning % |
Postseason |
| 2016 |
6 |
14 |
.300 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
|
| 2017 |
6 |
13 |
.316 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
|
| 2018 |
7 |
12 |
.368 |
2 |
2 |
.500 |
|
| Career |
19 |
39 |
.628 |
2 |
2 |
.500 |
|
