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SOUTHSIDE WATER POLO CLUB
Honey Badgers
MEET THE COACHES
Kristen Oliver
Kristen (Barnett) Oliver has played water polo since 2002. She was Texas State MVP in 2005 and played Division 1 water polo at Marist College from 2006 to 2010. While at Marist, she received Rookie of the Year and First Team All-MAAC honors. She is currently a player for local Masters team, HOPS and was Board member for the team for 5 years.
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Kristen has worn many hats. She is currently the vice-chair of the USAWP Southwest Zone Board and a member of the USAWP Southwest Masters Zone Board. She officiated high school and USAWP water polo from 2006 to 2017. Kristen has also coached splash ball and developmental programs for players ages 5-18.
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In her personal life, she is married to Coach Austen Oliver and they have two daughters, Brooklyn and Addison. They also have two puppy kiddos, Alexi and Bailey. When Kristen is not coaching/running the Club, she is a Lead Business Analyst at Cheniere Energy.
Taylor Cox
Taylor (Barnett) Cox has played water polo since 2004. She was an All American swimmer and water polo player in High School. She then went on to play Division 1 water polo at Bucknell University from 2011-2015. While at Bucknell, she received CWPA Rookie of the Year and Second Team CWPA All-Southern Division team. She is currently a player for the local Masters team, HOPS.
Taylor has been officiating water polo since 2011. She coached four years of summer league swimming for a local subdivision program. Taylor was a former USAWP Southwest Zone National Cadet coach. She has also coached splash ball and developmental water polo programs for players ages 5-18.
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In her personal life, she is married to Coach Daniel Cox. They have one son, Cooper. They have four dogs, Jett, Colt, Ted, and Bear. When Taylor is not coaching/running the Club, she is a content developer.
Austen Oliver
Austen Oliver's water polo journey started as a young babe of 12 years of age from the mean streets of Baytown, Texas. He played water polo at Baytown Sterling before heading off to Occidental College in Los Angeles. While at Oxy, he was named Second Team All-SCIAC and number 3 in the nation for goals scored. After 3 years at Oxy, he left for Columbia University where he was named New York State MVP. He is currently a player for the local Masters team, HOPS and was a Board member for over 5 years.
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Austen officiated water polo from 2013 to 2019. He officiated for CWPA, USAWP, and Texas High School games/tournaments including the Texas State Water Polo Tournament. Austen has also coached developmental programs for players ages 5-18.
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In his personal life, he is married to Coach Kristen Oliver and they have two daughters, Brooklyn and Addison. They also have two puppy kiddos, Alexi and Bailey. When Austen is not coaching/running the Club, he is a Senior Analyst of Project Controls at Cheniere Energy.
Daniel Cox
Daniel Cox has played water polo for over 14 years. He began his water polo career at South Lake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. After high school, he played at Whittier College where he was named team Captain.
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Daniel coached for Thunder Water Polo Club in Dallas, Texas from 2009 to 2017. He was the Southlake Carroll High School coach in 2012 and the ODP Men’s Coach in 2011 and 2012.
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In his personal life, he is married to Coach Taylor Cox. They have one son, Cooper. They have four dogs, Jett, Colt, Ted, and Bear. When Daniel is not coaching/running the Club, he is a CPM teacher and Head Coach at Dawson High School.
Ryan Pomier
Colby Thames
Ryan Pomier currently coaches for Southside's 14 and under program. Ryan swam on a summer swim team for 4 years and was the swim and water polo manager throughout his 4 years at Clear Springs High School. Ryan's interests include Jeeps, cars, Monster Jam, and video games.
Colby Thames has been involved in coaching and administering youth sports for over 20 years including soccer, swimming, and water polo. He spent six years in leadership roles with the Pearland Pirates summer swim team including two as club president. Over the past two years, he has been on the parent board for Southside and now he is transitioning into a coaching role. He is passionate about expanding the sport of water polo with new and younger players by helping them learn fundamentals and love of the game.
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In his personal live, he and his wife Karen, have three children: Tyler, who plays on the Texas A&M Men's Water Polo team, Callie, who is cheerleader captain at Dawson High School, and Travis, who plays for Southside. When not coaching, Colby is the Chief Information Officer for Choice Energy Management.
Tyler Thames
Tyler Thames started playing water polo at age 12 and has now been playing for over 7 years. He played water polo at Dawson High School where he spent his Junior and Senior year as the team captain. Now, he plays for the Texas A&M men’s water polo club.
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In his personal life, Tyler is currently a Computer Science major in the Texas A&M class of 2022. He has 3 dogs, Buzz, Scraps, and Blue, as well as a fish named Squilliam.
Allie Hansen
Allie Hansen played water polo at Friendswood High School where she was captain and led the team to its first state tournament appearance. She is now a sophomore at Villanova University where she plays Division I water polo for the wildcats. As a freshman, she started in all 17 games and was named to the ACWPA Scholar-Athlete Team and Dean’s List.
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Allie is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in humanitarian engineering. She hopes to one day use her degree to help developing communities abroad. Outside of water polo, Allie is addicted to chai lattes and playing spikeball.