Jens Cole became the second head coach of the Biola Men's Water Polo program in June 2025, succeeding program founder Rick Nordell.
"We look forward to the future of our men's water polo program under the leadership of coach Jens Cole. He is passionate, focused, visionary, and has a history of impactful influence in the lives and faith of his former athletes and peers," said Dr. Bethany Miller, Associate Vice President and Senior Director of Athletics.
| Cole's Record at Biola |
Year
2025
TOTAL |
Overall
10-21
10-21
(.323) |
Conference
4-2
4-2
(.667) |
Playoffs
2nd at WWPA Championships |
Coaching Highlights at Biola
• Coached 2 ACWPC Division II All-Americans
• Coached 6 All-WWPA honorees and 3 WWPA All-Tournament Team selections
Through the Years
2025 Cole guided the Eagles to a 10-21 record in his first season as head coach. Biola finished second in the WWPA West Region and advanced to the WWPA Championship match.
Adam Lavoy and Gavin McKenzie earned ACWPC Division II All-America honors. The Eagles also produced six All-WWPA honorees, highlighted by Gavin McKenzie earning First Team honors, Caleb Hernandez receiving Second Team recognition, Joshua Dachenhausen being named an Honorable Mention selection, Adam Lavoy earning All-WWPA Defensive Team honors and Noah Ryznar being selected to the All-WWPA Freshman Team. Dachenhausen and Lavoy were named to the WWPA All-Tournament First Team, while McKenzie earned Second Team recognition.
Before Biola
Cole comes to Biola after most recently serving as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's water polo teams at CSU Fullerton.
His coaching experience includes the brief time at CSUF, as well as program head duties at Westlake High School, where he had a tremendous four-year run to lead the team from a CIFSS DIII program in 2020 to CIFSS D1 status by 2023. His boys team won two tournament titles and nearly 80 matches during his time at the helm, including three consecutive 20-win seasons
Additionally, he is active in the club water polo space, where he's held positions at South Coast Aquatics and SET Water Polo. His time at South Coast began when he played for the club and won a Junior Olympics gold medal. He also contributes as part of the coaching staff for the Olympic Development Program (ODP), formerly with the Coastal Zone and currently with the Southern Pacific (SPA) Zone. Most recently, he helped the team win the 2025 Youth Boys ODP National Championship as an assistant coach.
Playing Career
Cole played collegiately at Pepperdine University under legendary coaches Dr. Terry Schroeder and Merrill Moses. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science before completing a master's degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Cole also has additional training and certifications in life and mental performance coaching.
A Malibu, California native, Cole played four years of varsity water polo at Malibu High School. He set the school's assist record while earning all-county, All-Southern California and First Team All-League honors. Cole was also named team MVP and helped lead Malibu to three league championships. In the classroom, he was a member of the California Scholarship Federation and earned honor roll recognition.
Personal
Cole earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a master's degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University. He also holds additional training and certifications in life and mental performance coaching.
He has this to say about joining Biola Athletics:
"I can't wait to establish Biola Men's Water Polo as a landing spot for the most dynamic, faithful, intelligent, and talented water polo student-athletes. Our goal is to be Great for God, and I am extremely excited to see all that these great young men can accomplish, representing their faith, their families, and their university."
