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Ploessel took over the aquatics programs at Chapman in 1996 when only men’s water polo and women’s swimming were offered. Since then, Ploessel has overseen the additions of women’s water polo as a varsity sport in 1998 and the gradual growth of men’s swimming as a club sport. Both the men’s and women’s water polo teams have improved from winless inaugural seasons to top-10 rankings in Division III under Ploessel and the women’s swimming program continues to grow and sent its first individual ever to the NCAA national championships in 2004. That same year, Ploessel handed over head coaching duties of the Panthers' women's water polo team to his son Eric. Ploessel has also been instrumental in the planning of Chapman's new Olympic-sized Folino Aquatics Facility, which broke ground in August 2006. Ploessel's student-athletes have thrived as Chapman's men's and women's water polo teams consistently rank among the top academic teams in the country, and in 2006, Chapman's women's team compiled a GPA of 3.33 and ranked fifth in the country - ahead of school's such as Princeton, U.C. San Diego and USC. The men faired almost as well in 2005, ranking 10th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.07. Prior to joining the Chapman coaching ranks, Ploessel coached water polo and swimming at Cypress College and at Los Alamitos High School, where he continues to teach full time as a resource specialist. He swam and played collegiate water polo at Cal State Fullerton from 1968-73 while earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education. He received a master’s degree in special education from Cal Lutheran in 1979. Men's Water Polo/Swimming Assistant CoachesEric Ploessel |
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DENNIS PLOESSEL