| Amber Drury-Pinto |
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Amber Drury-Pinto, in her third season as the head women's water polo coach at the University of California, has the Golden Bears vying for a spot among the nation's elite. Drury-Pinto's squad has improved the last two years in the country's toughest conference, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, including winning five of its final six matches last season to finish 17-12 overall and fifth in the MPSF Tournament.
Prior to being selected as the Cal women's water polo coach on Sept. 4, 2002, Drury-Pinto had guided the University of Michigan to a 25-13 record, a CWPA Eastern championship and a berth in the 2002 NCAA Final Four. In two seasons coaching the Wolverines, she compiled a 46-24-1 overall record for a .655 winning percentage. In the summer of 2002, Drury-Pinto also led the USA Junior National Team to a gold medal at the 2002 Junior Pan American Championship.
Drury-Pinto has extensive water polo experience, first as a player and then as a coach. She was a member of the USA National Team from 1984-94, playing in over 30 international tournaments and competing for the United States at the 1990 and 1994 World Championships. In 1991 and 1994, Drury-Pinto was named United States Women's Water Polo Player of the Year.
Also playing collegiate water polo, Drury-Pinto initially competed for the Rio Hondo Junior College men's water polo team from 1990-91. She then played for the Pomona-Pitzer women's water polo team from 1993-94, leading her team to back-to-back Division III national titles while earning two straight Division III Player of the Year honors.
Following her stint as a player for Team USA, Drury-Pinto returned to the national team as head assistant coach from 1994-98. She had also been a head women's water polo coach at Long Beach City College from 1998-2000. Drury-Pinto took over the head coaching duties of the USA Junior Women's Water Polo Team in March of 2002, leading the USA Juniors to the Pan Am gold medal with a 7-5 victory over Canada on Aug. 18, 2002 in Boca Raton, Florida. For her efforts coaching the USA Junior National Team, Drury-Pinto was selected as the 2002 National Coach of the Year for the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) Coach Recognition Program.
Drury-Pinto's Career Record
2001 Michigan 21-11-1
2002 Michigan 25-13
2003 California 14-9
2004 California 17-12
Total Four years 77-45-1 (.630)
