Halpin 2.0 looks to reboot Merced College water polo, swim teams

Some of Billy Halpin’s fondest memories revolve around the Merced College pool deck.

From watching his dad, Bill, build one of Northern California’s premier water polo programs to becoming a Blue Devil himself, Halpin has nothing but positive recollections of his time on campus.

He hopes his second stint with Merced College is just as rewarding. Halpin has accepted the full-time teaching and coaching position of women’s water polo and swim coach beginning in 2017. He leaves a Livingston boys water polo program he started and built, culminating with an undefeated Western Athletic Conference title in the fall.

“It was definitely a tough decision. I love the people and the kids at Livingston,” Halpin said. “I’ve always told the kids you have to work towards your goals and your dreams. You never want to just remain stagnant. This was the next step in my career, and I had to take it.

“I’ve been playing in the Merced College pool since I was in the eighth grade and went on to become a Blue Devil. I never thought I’d get the opportunity to coach here, but I’m excited for the challenge and hoping to build the programs back up to what they were in their prime.”

Halpin takes over for Karin Umemura, who went 53-55 in five years with the program. The Lady Devils advanced to the NorCal playoffs in 2015.

“Karin did a great job, but an adjunct coach always has built-in disadvantages that come with it,” Merced College athletic director Steve Cassady said. “Recruiting is a full-time job, and if you’re a part-time coach, you’re automatically fighting an uphill battle.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a full-time coach, and we’re just happy to have him. (Halpin) did a great job building up the Livingston program, and I think he’s going to do the same thing here.”

Halpin said the winter hire gives him an opportunity to get a jump-start on his water polo recruiting while it’s still fresh in the athletes’ heads as well as time to get everything prepared for swim season in the spring.

“I see this program as an opportunity to showcase the amount of water polo talent we have in the Valley,” Halpin said. “Getting as many local kids in as we can is the top priority. As long as we can put together a local team, we’ll always be strong. After that, I can broaden the search to add a few missing pieces here or there from outside the area.

“My dad is already starting to give me advice on what I should do first. Who better to learn from. I don’t really see there being a lot of pressure to duplicate what he did, it’s just an opportunity to continue the traditions of this program. I’m really looking forward to it.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Halpin 2.0 looks to reboot Merced College water polo, swim teams."