Mercyhurst University Assistant Vice President for Athletics Brad Davis named Petar Momcilovic the next head coach of both the men’s and women’s water polo programs on Feb. 15, 2022.
Momcilovic served as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons under the late Curtis Robinette, who passed away in August after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Momcilovic will be just the third head coach the programs have had after Robinette’s nearly 20 years at the helm.
“For nearly 20 years, Mercyhurst water polo has been synonymous with Coach Robinette, so choosing his successor was no small task,” said Davis. “I am excited to bring Petar back to campus, where his focus on the growth of student-athletes inside the pool and the classroom is a perfect fit with our university’s goals. I’d like to thank Assistant Athletic Director Sue Sweeney for chairing the search for the next water polo head coach and thank our student-athletes for their patience and contributions throughout the process.”
Momcilovic began coaching in his hometown of London, United Kingdom, in 2011, and has coached at every level from the U12 age group to international competition. Before coming to Mercyhurst, he was the Head Men’s Water Polo Coach for Oxford University, where he led the team to their highest British University and College Sports conference finish (third place) and won the Southern BUCS for the first time.
He served as a graduate assistant coach at Mercyhurst during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, helping to coach the men’s team to a 22-28 record and the women’s team to 14-29 over those two years. The men’s team’s 13-11 record in the 2018 season was the program’s best record since 2013.
“I’d like to thank Brad Davis and the Mercyhurst athletic department for entrusting me in being only the third head coach in the programs history,” Momcilovic said. “I am honored to follow in the steps of the late Curtis and carry on building the foundation and success Curtis built for the past 20 years. I am excited to be back working with the amazing Mercyhurst athletes and building an even stronger team athletically and academically.”
While based in Erie, Momcilovic also served as a volunteer cadet coach for USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program in their Great Lakes Zone.
After graduating from Mercyhurst with a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Sports Leadership, Momcilovic moved to Florida where he has served as the Venice High School Head Boys’ Water Polo Coach since Dec. 2020 and a USA Water Polo Olympic Development Coach for the Southeast Zone Girls Development and Youth teams.
