SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team has hired Clara Vulpisi, who represented Canada at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, as the Gauchos' next goalkeeping coach. She brings a wealth of international and collegiate playing experience to Santa Barbara's pool deck as the Gauchos prepare for their 2025 season.
 
The Montreal native and Pacific grad made two appearances in goal in Tokyo and three in Paris, with that most recent campaign highlighted by posting a .54 save percentage against the eventual bronze medalists the Netherlands and saving 67 percent of shots faced from open play against eventual gold medalists Spain. She was also a member of the team that won silver at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, and she was named Most Valuable Goalkeeper when Canada won the 2016 Junior Pan American Championships.
 
Collegiately, Vulpisi played alongside Gaucho Assistant Coach Emma Myall at Pacific, where she was an All-Golden Coast Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team selection when the Tigers won the conference title in 2019. Vulpisi also garnered All-GCC Honorable Mention in 2023, and was named to the All-GCC First Team in 2022. Also a two-time GCC All-Academic honoree, she graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2023.
 
This will be Vulpisi's first collegiate coaching role, though she has previously coached younger players at her hometown club in Montreal, including leading the U14 team to a silver medal at a regional tournament. She also held multiple leadership roles throughout her career, including captaining Canada's youth team and serving as co-captain of the 2016 squad that won gold at the Junior Pan American Championships.