Staten Island, NY – Wagner College President Dr. Richard Guarasci has announced the addition of men's water polo and women's fencing as varsity sports, each of which will begin competition in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
With the addition of these two sports, the number of sports offered by Wagner will increase to 22.
 
"We believe these exciting additions to our athletic program will help Wagner increase our enrollment, provide us with a bit more of a competitive edge in recruiting, and will raise additional revenue," said Guarasci. "The decision to add the intercollegiate sports of men's water polo and women's fencing, beginning in the Fall of 2016, was made in consultation with Athletic Director Walt Hameline, Senior Vice President Angelo Araimo and other members of the senior staff.
 
"We think that our success with women's water polo, which includes several NCAA tournament appearances - and receiving honors for the highest team GPA in the country in each of the last four seasons – makes the addition of a men's team a very logical and smart move." Guarasci added. "Fencing is a sport that attracts a similar type of student-athlete as water polo, and several schools in the Northeast Conference, such as Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson, compete in fencing a well as other top notch local institutions such as Princeton, Columbia, NYU and NJIT."

"Adding women's fencing and men's water polo increases opportunities for future student-athletes which will allow them to enhance their Wagner College experience," said Hameline. 

Chris Radmonovich, who will enter his sixth season as head women's water polo coach in 2016 after leading the Seahawks to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships, and ensuing NCAA Championship appearances in 2014 and 2015, will also serve as the head coach of the Wagner men's water polo program. A national search for a head women's fencing coach will begin immediately.
 
"I would like to thank Dr. Guarasci and Walt Hameline for naming me the inaugural coach of the men's water polo program here at Wagner" said Radmonovich. "We have a lot of work ahead of us but I'm looking forward to building this program from the ground up. I'm honored to have this opportunity to lead the men's program while continuing to further the success of the women's team."
 
The addition of the Seahawk men's water polo program will increase the number of intercollegiate men's programs to 47 and Wagner will become the 23^rd institution in the nation to sponsor Division I men's water polo. Wagner will also become a member of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), a group of colleges and universities in the Eastern United States that compete in Division I men's water polo. The winner of the CWPA earns one of the six spots in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship.

Wagner will become the 40^th institution in the nation to sponsor the sport of women's fencing.


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