8/30/2010
Andrew Walsh recently joined Maria High School as Athletic Director. He has 10 years of experience working with high school age girls, having coached water polo since 2000. The Maria High School Mystics sports program includes volleyball, tennis, cross country, basketball, softball, soccer, track and field, and the Mystic Moves dance team. Walsh said, “I’m looking forward to a great year in athletics. I plan to expand on the level of the teams we have and, as they get strong, add new sports to our offerings.”
Walsh grew up on the Southwest Side of Chicago in the Beverly neighborhood, and he is a graduate of St. Barnabas Elementary School and Mt. Carmel High School. He was a member of the Mt. Carmel cross country, swimming, and water polo teams. He went on to earn a B. A. in History from Roosevelt University Chicago and a master’s in Sport Management from California University of Pennsylvania.
Walsh began his career in 2000, working with high school athletes at St. Ignatius College Prep where he coached water polo, assisted with the swimming team and served as Assistant to the Athletic Director from 2000 to 2005.
Prior to joining the Maria staff, Walsh lived in California where he taught at Crespi High School and coached water polo at Louisville High School. While coaching high school water polo in Illinois and California, Walsh has had 25 athletes named Academic All-Americans, 9 teams recognized as NISCA Scholar Teams, 12 players recognized as All-State (in CA and IL), and 7 players recognized as NISCA High School All-Americans. He was named “Coach of the Year” four times and enjoyed seeing 11 players earn college scholarships, including one that won a NCAA Championship this year at USC.
Walsh also worked with the Los Angeles Water Polo Club and the USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Program. In these programs he has been on the staff of two National runner-up teams and had 20 athletes selected to participate with the U.S. Junior National Team. Four of his players recently took home a Gold Medal for the National Team in the Four Nation’s Tournament.
Now back in Chicago, Walsh resides in Oak Lawn with his wife, Megan, and son, William.