Johnny Bega, a NCAA National Champion while on the staff at Cal and a longtime San Jose State coach, was named the first head men's and women's water polo coach at University of California, Merced, by Executive Director of Athletics David Dunham on September 6, 2022.
"I am excited to have Johnny to lead the start up of our men's and women's water polo teams," Dunham said. "He brings a wealth of experience from all levels of water polo and his experience with water polo in the Valley will allow us to build a successful program. I look forward to working with him to grow our water polo programs."
Bega led the Bobcats to a California Pacific Conference Championship in 2024 and a runner-up finish at the NAIA West Invitational. He was named the Cal Pac Coach of the Year, while his goalkeeper Hope Stokes was named the Cal Pac Championship MVP and NAIA West Invitational Defensive MVP. Bega also coached Liberty Hamilton to a NAIA West Invitational Team MVP distinction. The Bobcats finished 4-23 overall in the campaign with three wins over Cal Maritime and a win over Caltech.
In his first season at the helm of UC Merced’s women’s team in 2023, Bega led the Bobcats to a first-place finish in the CWPA Club Sierra Pacific “B” Division Championship going a perfect 6-0 in league play and then sweeping all four matches in the championship tournament. UC Merced outscored their league opponents 109-45 in the ten Sierra Pacific “B” Division matches combined.
Bega’s team took third in the NAIA Water Polo Finals. Overall, UC Merced finished 12-12. The Bobcats debuted at the UCSB Winter Invite on January 20 against another first-year program in Cal State Fullerton. Three weeks later, Bega coached his squad to its first win of the inaugural season with a 22-8 victory over Saint Mary’s College Club Team. The Bobcats 22 goals in that match would end up being the season-high.
Bega was key in aiding in the development of Hope Stokes, who was named UC Merced’s NAIA Water Polo Finals MVP and finished with a team-best 58 goals. Bega’s freshman Viviana Luna was also a standout with 57 goals.
Under Bega’s watch in 2022, the men’s water polo team took a third-place finish at the NAIA Water Polo Finals and a seventh-place finish in the CWPA Club Sierra Pacific Division Championship.
Bega came to UC Merced with over 25 years of coaching experience across various levels and has been a part of winning teams at every stop of his coaching career. Bega has also worked with some of the world's brightest water polo minds.
Bega was an assistant coach at Cal under Kirk Everist where he helped the Golden Bears men's team during their run to the 2016 NCAA Championship. Bega moved to Cal after ten years at San Jose State, including three years as the head women's water polo coach.
Bega led San Jose State to a pair of top-10 final rankings and 20-win seasons in his three years at the helm. The Atwater High School and Long Beach State alum was named the MPSF Coach of the Year in his interim year in 2014. Bega's team set school records for most goals in a season with 393 that year and defeated three top-ten teams. Bega holds a collegiate head coaching record of 61-37.
Bega was the Associate Head Coach at SJSU under the late longtime women's water polo head coach Lou Tully from 2009-13 and was an assistant coach as early as the 2006 season.
Most recently, Bega served as the Aquatics Director at Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs, CO., while also running water polo youth camps nationwide from California to Florida. Bega has also been working with five-time Olympian and Water Polo Silver Medalist Tony Azevedo and 6-8 sports.
Bega had stints as a volunteer assistant coach at Santa Clara and Long Beach State prior to San Jose State. In addition, he has reached lofty heights of success at several high schools and clubs around California, winning multiple CIF Division One titles and several medals at Junior Olympics.
On the international level, Bega has served as the USA National Zone 11 junior girls and youth boys head coach. From 1997-2001, he coached in Japan, Hungary, Brazil, Greece and Holland.
The 1999 Long Beach State graduate majored in vocational education. Bega relocates to the Central Valley from Colorado with his wife Alexandra, daughter Keira, and two English bulldogs.
