On Thursday, the Michigan water polo team named Chris Vidale as its new head coach, replacing interim coach Sami Tai after former coach Cassie Churnside resigned the position March 6. Vidale spent the last 10 seasons as the head coach at Marist, where he led the women’s team and touted a 194-117 career record.
In 2021, he led the Red Foxes to a MAAC Championship and the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in program history. In the 2026 season, he was named the MAAC Coach of the Year, helping the Red Foxes to an 8-0 record in conference play and reaching the MAAC title game.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chris as the new water polo coach for our program,” Wolverines athletic director Warde Manuel said Thursday. “His leadership, vision and commitment to developing student-athletes in and out of the pool make Chris an outstanding fit for our team. We’re excited for the energy, passion, and championship mindset that he will bring to Ann Arbor as we continue building a strong future for our water polo program.”
Before Marist, Vidale coached at Greenwich High School and led it to a 2015 Connecticut state championship. In addition to coaching the Red Foxes, Vidale works with the USA Water Polo Cadet team that took bronze at the 2024 PanAm Aquatic U19 Water Polo Championships, and he continues to work with them in preparation for the world championships later in the summer. Vidale played water polo himself at Iona from 2003 to 2007 in addition to competing with the Trinidad and Tobago national team, where he won two bronze medals in 2009.
“I am honored and excited to be named the head coach of the Michigan water polo program,” Vidale said. “Michigan represents excellence at the highest level, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead and to serve these young women. … I’m excited to get to work.”
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