Cory Olcott joined Harvard’s men’s water polo coaching staff for the 2015 season as a volunteer coach. Olcott enters his eighth year as a volunteer coach for the program in 2022-23.
During the women's campaign in 2022, Olcott helped lead the team to its first-ever CWPA Championship game appearance on his way to earning CWPA Coach of the Year for the second time with the women's team. The team went on to post a 23-7 overall record, the second-highest single season win total in program history. The seven losses also marked the least amount in varsity program history, barring the shortened 2020 season. The Crimson boasted a quartet of All-Conference honorees including Zoe Banks, Inde Halligan, Grace Thawley and Evan Tingler. All four student-athletes also gained ACWPC All-America honors, including a spot on the third team for Halligan.
Returning to competition in 2021, Olcott helped guide the men's team to its third-highest win total in program history, amassing 26 wins. The Crimson was ranked as high as No. 11 in the CWPA National Rankings during the season, and featured a trio of All-America honorees in Noah Hodge, Alex Tsotadze, and Gabe Putnam. Tsotadze, meanwhile, was named NWPC Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the season.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 men's water polo and 2021 women's water polo seasons were canceled by the Ivy League.
In a shortened 2020 season, Olcott helped guide the women's program to a 12-2 overall record, including victories over three ranked opponents. The team saw three players win CWPA weekly honors over four separate occasions and reached a season-high national rank of No. 17.
Olcott helped lead the Crimson men to a historic season in 2019, earning an undefeated 27-0 record through regular season play and breaking program records for best start to a season and most consecutive wins. In its sixth consecutive 20-win season, Harvard defeated Princeton to become the new NWPC Champion. Four members of the Crimson – seniors Charlie Owens and Austin Sechrest, junior Dennis Blyashov and sophomore Noah Hodge – earned First Team All-NWPC honors while Owens was named MVP of the conference.
During his third year with the Crimson in 2017-18, Harvard men's water polo collected back-to-back Northeast Water Polo Conference titles and a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The men's team concluded its season with a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals in Los Angeles. During the season, freshman Dennis Blyashov earned All-America third-team and NEWPC Rookie of the Year recognition, along with sophomore Austin Sechrest who was named an All-America honorable mention. The Crimson finished 2017 with a 24-8 overall record and ended the season at No. 11 in the CWPA poll. On the women's side, Harvard finished with a 17-19 overall record, including six victories over ranked opponents.
In Olcott’s second year with Crimson in 2016-17, Harvard reached heights it had never seen before. The Crimson finished an all-time best 27-7, winning 20-plus games for the third consecutive season, a first in Harvard water polo history. The Crimson defeated a program-record 13 ranked opponents and was ranked as high as No. 8 in the CWPA poll. Harvard won its first conference championship in school history, taking home the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Championship and clinching the first-ever NCAA Championship berth in school history. Olcott and the Crimson finished the year with two NCAA tournament victories to earn a spot in the NCAA Final Four. On the women's side, the Crimson finished 15-14 while earning its highest finish at the CWPA Championships since 2000 with a fourth-place mark.
In his first season in 2015-16, Olcott was key in guiding Harvard to a 21-10 record as it posted one of the most memorable seasons in program history. Olcott helped Harvard to numerous firsts on the season as it reached No. 12 in the CWPA poll, defeated three top-10 opponents, downed six ranked opponents and tied the best finish in program history with a third-place showing at the CWPA Championship.
Olcott came to Cambridge after serving as the head women’s water polo coach at Wellesley College for the 2014-15 season. While at Wellesley, Olcott took the reins of a previously winless squad and led them to a second-place finish at the Yale Invitational in his lone year at the helms.
Prior to his stint at Wellesley, Olcott served as a coach at the Stanford Water Polo Club from 2007-10. Olcott led the club to the national and junior national championship in 2009 and developed two junior Olympic All-Americans during his tenure. Olcott also served as head coach of the women’s water polo team at Palo Alto High School from 2007-09, where he placed five players in Division I programs.
Olcott made his first mark at the collegiate level as an assistant coach on the Stanford women’s water polo team from 1995-97. The Cardinal ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation and claimed the Pac-12 title in his second year.
Olcott began his coaching career at Menlo High School, where he founded the women’s water polo team and served as head coach from 1992-94. During his tenure, he led the program to a 29-1 record in his final season and placed a total of 11 athletes in Division I programs.
Olcott graduated from Northwestern in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature. He received his Master of Arts in Education and English from Stanford in 1993 before he earned his school leadership program master of education from Harvard in 2012.
