Now, he’s hoping that the latter color will become the dominant one in his career.
On Thursday, Krikorian was named the new coach of the USA women’s water polo national team, and he will begin his full-time commitment to help the program reach the gold-medal plateau at the conclusion of the current collegiate season.
Krikorian will no longer be the coach of the women’s program at UCLA because of conflicting schedules. He will, however, remain on staff for the school’s men’s program. According to Krikorian, UCLA’s search for his replacement has yet to start due to the sudden nature of the news.
In announcing his departure, Krikorian expressed his gratitude toward a UCLA program that he has contributed to as both a player and a coach for the last 17 years.
“I would like to thank all the past and present women’s players and coaches that I have been so fortunate to work with over the years,” he said. “There is no question I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Krikorian will leave one enormously successful program for another: In his decade long tenure leading the UCLA women, he won seven national collegiate championships and was named National Coach of the Year on five occasions. Meanwhile, he will inherit a U.S. program that won the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, coming up one goal short against the Netherlands in the gold-medal match.
“The U.S. program is in a good place right now,” Krikorian said. “The women proved in Beijing that they’re among the elite in the world, and I look forward to being a part of that success and helping them maintain the high level of play.”
The 2012 Olympics in London will be a litmus test for Krikorian as he leads his team into what will surely be a talented field of international competition.
“There are so many countries out there that have terrific young talent,” he said. “Teams like China and Russia were tough in Beijing with rosters that had an average age of less than 20. There will be plenty of nations to be reckoned with going forward.”
Getting the opportunity to lead his country was something that Krikorian has long envisioned, and that dream materialized even before he had anticipated. After a somewhat rigorous process that involved numerous interviews and other means of evaluation over the course of a couple months, the announcement finally came over spring break.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind that 20 or 30 years down the line you’d like to coach the national team,” Krikorian said. “But then the opportunity presented itself now, and there was no way I would ever have been able to turn it down. I am so excited for the chance to embrace new challenges and set new goals.”
One challenge that he will no longer have to face is the burden of recruiting. While Krikorian concedes that there are some enjoyable moments in that aspect of the college game, the reality of the situation is that the players coming out of high school are in control of where they choose to play. It is an entirely different story altogether at the national level, in which the coach has his choice of players in compiling an ideal roster.
“The depth of talent in the United States is incredible,” Krikorian said. “I am absolutely looking forward to getting to work with all the great players and coaches from around the country, and we will be doing our best to put together the best possible team.”
Although he said he is not yet ready to guarantee a top of the podium finish in London, Krikorian thinks that the U.S. program is heading in a positive direction. In the meantime, the coach will look to solidify his already sturdy Bruin legacy with a fifth consecutive national title with the UCLA women’s team. Whether that happens, Krikorian will leave UCLA with defining experiences in his career.
“I have experienced some of the best and most rewarding moments of my life here at UCLA,” he said. “I am excited about the opportunity to be able to add to those moments with the men’s program and yet create a new set of experiences with USA Water Polo.”