Our Coaches
Lisa Cooper is one of American collegiate water polo's most accomplished coaches, best known for building Cal State East Bay's women's program into a perennial contender over more than two decades. Her 346 career wins and the historic 2008 National Championship cemented her legacy as arguably the most successful coach in the modern era of Cal State East Bay athletics.
She is a two-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) National Division II Coach of the Year, a conference coach of the year, Collegiate III National Championship Coach of the year and won CSUEB’s only National Championship of any sports program this century.
Cooper grew up in Perth, Australia, where she began playing water polo at age 14 and went on to compete for the Western Australian State Junior Team, helping it capture national championships in 1996 and 1998. Cooper also was a member of the Australian National Youth and National Junior Teams. She played collegiately at The University of Hawai’i, where she was an All-American and Academic All-American, was the Rainbow Wahine’s top scholar athlete, leading goal scorer, and received the team’s most outstanding player award.
Cooper graduated from the University of Hawai’i with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology (Health and Exercise Science) and completed her master’s degree in Kinesiology (Sports Psychology and Skill Acquisition) at Cal State East Bay. In 2018, she was named to Cal State East Bay’s “40 under 40” List recognizing distinguished alumni.
Coach Cooper's philosophy combines both academic, athletic and personal excellence. She sees water polo as an integral part of her athletes’ overall development. This is taught through the life skills of teamwork, discipline, persistence, communication and dedication.
Cooper is the former chair of the NCAA women's water polo committee, as well as the NCAA men's and women's rules subcommittee. She also served for many years as the coach’s chair of the WWPA Conference.
Lisa is a professor at Ohlone College, specializing in teaching swimming and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
She also is an assistant coach for the California Dolphins Swim Team (CDST) and runs swim stroke clinics – helping swimmers perfect their strokes and build endurance.
Lisa resides in Fremont with her husband Eric and their 2 daughters Summer and Autumn. In her free time she enjoys swimming and working out.
Head Coach Lisa Cooper
Co-founder
Head Coach Elias Mendez
Co-founder
A proud Fremont native, Elias Mendez brings a lifelong connection to the local aquatics community and a wealth of coaching experience to his role as Head Coach of the Men's Water Polo team at Ohlone College. A former standout goalie at Washington High School and Ohlone College, Elias earned numerous accolades during his playing career before transferring to San José State University.
At Ohlone, Coach Mendez is known for his leadership and dedication to student-athlete development. In 2024, he was honored as Conference Coach of the Year, a testament to his impact on the program and the competitive success for the Renegades, in the pool and the classroom. In addition to leading the men’s water polo team, he also serves as an Assistant Coach for both the Men's and Women's Swim Teams, contributing his broad aquatics knowledge and fostering a culture of excellence across disciplines.
Elias has built a strong coaching résumé that spans high school, club, and collegiate levels. His past experience includes serving as Head Boys’ Water Polo Coach at Washington High School and coaching with the West Valley Water Polo Club. Currently, he is actively involved in year-round development programs as a coach with Mission Highlands Swim Club and Ohlone Aquatics Club, where he works closely with youth and age-group athletes to build foundational skills and prepare them for competitive success.
With deep ties to Fremont and a passion for mentoring student-athletes, Coach Mendez is committed to elevating Ohlone College’s aquatics programs while giving back to the community that helped shape his own athletic journey.
Coach Desiree (Dez) Dictor
Desiree Dictor is a true pioneer of women’s water polo, competing as a dominant Center for the City of Commerce Aquatics Club team during the sport's foundational years from 1971 to 1978. Playing the grueling center position, she anchored her team's offense and set a standard for physical play and leadership in the pool. During an era before women's water polo achieved widespread collegiate or Olympic recognition, her dedication and competitive drive helped pave the way for future generations of female athletes. Today, her legacy stands as a vital building block in the history and growth of the sport.
Coach Brandon Vo
Coach Brandon Vo first began playing water polo at Irvington High School, graduating in 2021 with Honorable Mention and Second-Team All-League accolades. He continued his passion for water polo and swimming at Ohlone College, receiving Second-Team All-NorCal and All-Coast mentions before ending his playing career. Transferring to UCLA, Brandon has developed an extensive background in leadership within UCLA's Southeast Asian community and graduated with a BS in Biology in 2025. Returning to the Bay, he has since assisted Coach Elias with Ohlone College's Men's Water Polo and frequents Masters Water Polo practices at Ohlone. Outside the pool, Brandon volunteers as a MA as well as at concerts and sporting events with Rock Medicine as an EMT, with aspirations of attending medical school and becoming a family medicine physician. For Ohlone Aquatics Club, he assists with coaching youth and high school players along with running the club website and social media. Coach Brandon is passionate about uplifting the future generation of water polo players in Fremont and is eager to share his journey through water polo and his career goals.