Michael Gordon was named the seventh head coach of the Villanova Water Polo program in July 2023. He joined the Wildcat program in 2018 and has served as an assistant for five seasons.
In two seasons as head coach, he has amassed a 42-23 record, 12-12 in MAAC games, and is 18-1 at the Villanova Swim Complex in that time. He has coached three All-MAAC selections, two MAAC major award winners and a ACWPC All-American.
Gordon was tabbed the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2025, becoming the first head coach in program history to win the award outright and first to be honored since 2004. His laurel was one of three major awards for the 'Cats in the conference plaudits with Adrienne Grimes earning Defensive Player of the Year and Riley Hull landing Rookie of the Year Honors. Hull later went on to earn ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention status. He led the team to 21-12 record, their first back-to-back 20-win seasons in team history with a team high of 445 goals. He led the team to their first postseason berth in the 2025 MAAC Water Polo Championship since 2016 and recorded two ranked wins on the season. His squad was the first to be ranked in either the CWPA or ACWPC national polls, earning a spot four times on the year.
His first season at the helm in 2024 was historic as he led the Wildcats to 21 wins, the second most in a single season in program history. Villanova broke numerous team and individual records and Stella Byles was an All-MAAC Second Team selection. Gordon's .656 win percentage is the highest of any first year head coach in Villanova history. The team will continue to excel in the future with bright young talent stepping into bigger roles.
As an assistant coach, Gordon helped the Wildcats earn four All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honors, in addition to helping guide numerous players to MAAC Weekly Award accolades. Gordon also played a part in the program’s first All-American selection with Kaysie Stuba receiving the plaudit for her efforts during the 2022 campaign. The 2022 season saw Villanova tally the second-most wins in program history with a 20-15 record, including a 9-7 mark in conference action.
Three teams in his time as an assistant reset the program’s single season record for goals, assists, points, field blocks and sprint wins. The 2022 squad alone set a new standard for the program with a record 415 goals, 277 assists and 692 points. That year, the team attempted 1,044 shots, a threshold that has only been seen three times in program history. Each of the last two seasons saw the Wildcats bring a fury on the offensive side, totaling 2,049 shot attempts.
Gordon is a 2006 graduate of Villanova where he was a two-time All-American on the club water polo team. After graduating, he turned his attention to coaching, first at Miramar College in San Diego, Calif. where he was an assistant coach from 2008-2010. In 2011, he was named the head coach for Serra High School, also in San Diego. That seven-year stint paved the way back to his alma mater.
Aside from coaching, Gordon has also had his hand in officiating the sport. He has been an NCAA official since 2008, working multiple conference championship tournaments for the CWPA and WWPA.
Gordon and his wife, Taelor, have three children, William, Thomas, and Molly.
