Former Gannon University Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard-McGuirk announced the appointment of former GU All-American Zarko Sadikovic as the men's and women's water polo coach on Aug. 25, 2023. Sadikovic became the fifth different individual to oversee the two programs.
Over three seasons the Golden Knights have enjoyed the successful return of Zadikovic, particularly on the men’s side where they are 42-27. That included a third place showing at last year’s WWPA Championships. On the women’s side Gannon is 26-38 over three seasons.
A year ago the men’s water polo posted a 14-10 record, including a 3-1 mark in WWPA matches. That left the Golden Knights as the top seed out of the Eastern Division heading into the WWPA Championship.
Hosted by the Golden Knights at SPIRE Aquatics Center in Geneva, Ohio, Gannon met Biola, the number two seed from the Western Division, in the semifinals. Biola jumped out to an early lead and Gannon was unable to catch up, falling 11-9 in a low-scoring match.
Gannon rallied the next day for a 17-12 triumph over Fresno Pacific to bring home third place. That’s the highest finish for the Golden Knights since joining the WWPA.
In year number two Gannon posted a 16-7 record and placed fourth at the WWPA Championships. The 16 wins were the most since the 2019 squad ended the year at 18-4.
The Golden Knights were the number two seed in the Eastern Division and reached the semifinals with a 17-15 win over Fresno Pacific. They fell to Concordia University Irvine 14-9 in the semifinals and suffered a narrow 14-12 setback to Biola in the third place match. Concordia was the Western Division champion and Biola was second.
Zadikovic enjoyed a successful return to his alma mater in his initial season. The men’s water polo team finished with a 12-10 record, going 3-3 in Western Water Polo Association action. They went on to finish fifth in the WWPA Championships.
Entering as the number three seed from the Eastern Division, Gannon dropped a 15-12 decision to No. 2W Concordia Irvine in the opening round before defeating No. 3W Fresno Pacific 16-14 in the consolation round. Gannon ended in fifth place thanks to a 22-17 win over No. 2E Mercyhurst.
On the women’s side the Golden Knights ended the 2023 season with a 10-12 record and went 2-4 in WWPA action. They would finish eighth at the WWPA Championships. The 10 wins matched the 2021 win total and are the most since the 2014 team won 13 games.
In 2025 the Golden Knight posted a 7-15 record then improved to 9-11 last spring. Gannon lost all three of its matches at the WWPA Championships but two came by a total of three goals. They were sixth at the 2025 championships.
A native of Nis, Serbia, Sadikovic played for the Golden Knights from 2015 to 2018. He finished his career ranked sixth on the all-time Gannon goals list (155), 11th (now 17th) in assists (64) and 22nd in steals (96).
Sadikovic served as the head coach of the men's water polo team of the USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program since October 2021, serving as an instructional coach for USA Cadet water polo athletes in the Great Lakes zone.
After graduating from Gannon in 2019, Sadikovic began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Penn State Behrend in the fall of 2019. That was followed by a stint as a graduate assistant at Mercyhurst in 2020-21.
Sadikovic took over as Mercyhurst's interim men's head coach due to unfortunate circumstances just prior to the start of the 2021 season. He took over after the passing of head coach Curtis Robinette after a long battle with cancer.
Sadikovic picked up his first win as a head coach with a 14-11 win over Penn State Behrend. During the spring, he served as the assistant coach for the women's water polo program.
With Sadikovic playing a major role, Gannon enjoyed its most successful seasons during his playing career. The Golden Knights won three straight MAWPC Western Championships from 2016-18 under former head coach Sean Morphy. In addition, Gannon finished third at the MAWPC-West Region Championship in both 2016 and 2018, the top finishes ever for the program to that point.
Gannon was 51-14 during his three seasons. The 20-1 finish in 2018 represents a school record for wins, and the 2017 squad ended the year at 18-8. That is tied for the second-highest win total in a season.
During the course of his career he was a two-time first team ACWPC All-American, earning the honor in 2017 and again in 2018. He is the only Golden Knight to earn the honor twice.
He was also named to the MAWPC-West All-Region First Team both years, along with earning a spot on the MAWPC-West Championships Second Team in 2018. In 2017, Sadikovic was selected as the CWPA Division II Championship MVP and the MAWPC West Region MVP. He was named to the CWPA Division II Championship All-Tournament Team in 2016 and 2017.
Sadikovic led Gannon in goals and points as a senior in 2018 with 68 and 104, respectively. The 68 goals ranks fourth in a season. He was second in goals in 58 in 2017 while leading the team with 70 points, and began his career in 2015 with 29 goals and 16 assists for 45 points, good for third on the team in goals and points.
Sadikovic received his bachelor of science degree in marketing and entrepreneurial studies from Gannon in May 2019, and completed work on his master of science degree in cybersecurity from Mercyhurst in May 2022. He and wife Christine were married on July 5, 2025 and welcomed their first child – Nikola “Niko” Sadikovic on April 22, 2026.
Updated August 2026
