About Us

Windy City Water Polo Club in Illinois serves Oak Park, River Forest, Chicago, and the entire Chicagoland area. The club began in 1987 by coaches Dave Perry and Jack Wagner.  Windy City Water Polo fields Senior/Masters level, 20 and Under, 18 and Under, 16 and Under, 14 and Under, 12 and Under, and 10 and Under teams for both boys and girls. We offer practices and competitions year round for athletes 14 years old and younger (including 12U and 10U), senior / masters women, and senior / masters men. We offer Summer and Fall water polo for high school athletes.  In addition to local leagues and tournaments, we travel throughout the country to have some fun playing water polo!  In the past few years, we've played water polo in California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.  In 2016 and 2019, with Coach Elizabeth Timmons and Coach Kyle Perry, several of Windy City's high school boys spent the month of June in Adelaide, Australia training and staying with members of the Adelaide Vikings, Blackfriars Priory School, and Water Polo SA.

At the high school level, WCWP has had players compete at Fenwick, Morton, Oak Park River Forest, Br. Rice, St. Patrick, Loyola, St. Ignatius, Lockport, Juarez, Maine South, Lincoln Park, York, Riverside-Brookfield, Maine East, Taft, Little Village, Neuqua Valley, Lincoln-Way Central, Curie, Latin, Mother McAuley, Evanston, Lake Forest, Whitney Young, Glenbrook South, The Hill School (PA), Waubonsie Valley, Morgan Park, Hinsdale Central, Prosser, St. Charles East, Wilson (PA), Von Steuben, Steinmetz, DeLaSalle, Shepard, Stagg, Blackfriars Priory School (Adelaide, Australia), Northside College Prep, Bremen, and Mt. Carmel.

At the collegiate level, WCWP has sent players to Varsity programs at Harvard University, Princeton University, Mercyhurst College, Iona College, Fordham University, Bucknell University, UC Los Angeles, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Loyola Marymount University, Washington & Jefferson College, U.S. Naval Academy, Johns Hopkins University, Pennsylvania State University Behrend, UC Santa Barbara, George Washington University, Santa Clara University, Indiana University, Colorado State University, University of Michigan, Villanova University, Gannon University, University of La Verne, University of the Pacific, Monmouth College, Concordia University - Irvine, Pomona-Pitzer, Marist, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, Carthage College, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Long Island University, Mt. St. Mary's, Fresno State University, and Azusa Pacific University.  Matt Farmer recently helped UCLA win the 2014, 2015, and 2017 NCAA Championship.

At the club level, WCWP has sent players to Miami University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Western Michigan University, University of Iowa, University of Notre Dame, University of Dayton, Marquette University, Lewis University, St. Louis University, Western Illinois University, Colgate University, Syracuse University, Pepperdine University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Grand Valley State University, Tufts University, United States Military Academy, Illinois State University, Indiana University, Boston College, Lehigh University, Tulane University, Georgetown University, Texas Christian University, University of Chicago, Michigan State University, DePaul University, and University of Virginia.

Three of our athletes have gone on to play professional water polo in Spain, Italy, Australia, and Greece.  Matt Napleton (Fenwick '09) competed for Rari Nantes Savona in 2013-2014, and Chris Wendt (Fenwick '09) competed for Roma Nuoto in 2014-2015.  Most recently, Matt Farmer (Fenwick '13) competed for the Hunter Hurricanes in Australian's National Water Polo League 2017-2018, Circolo Canottieri Ortigia in Italy 2018-2019, CN Sabadell in Spain in 2019-2022, and currently Peristeri in Greece.

Eight Windy City Water Polo Coaches have been inducted into the Illinois Water Polo Hall of Fame: Laura Coffman (1999), Joe Wendt (2000), Dave Perry (2002), Brian Pendergast (2003), Jack Wagner (2005), Mike Gruszeczki (2008), Brigitte Kusevskis (2011), and Steve Vongluekiat (2019).