Coaching Staff
Club Owner & Head Coach
Marshall Dortch
21 years AHS Men’s Coach · 17 years Club Owner
Coaching Staff
Experienced coaches committed to developing athletes at every level — from first-time players to competitive teens.
Marshall Dortch
Head Coach
Club Coaching- 17 years with Alameda Water Polo club as a coach, owner, and program director.
HS Coaching- Alameda High School Men’s Water Polo coach for 21 years and Women’s Coach for 1 year
-Led 2026 Men’s team to a 30-1 record
-2 NCS Division 2 Runner up finishes
-1 NCS Division 1 Runner up finish
-Top 8 finish in NCS Div 1 in the first year with AHS Women’s WP
-8 league championships in ACCAL and WACC conferences with the Men and 1 WACC championship with the women.
-7 league MVP’s on the men’s side and 1 league MVP on the Women’s Side
-2021 NCS coach of the year (Honor Coach)
Collegiate Div 1 swimmer at University of Kansas and NCS Champion in the 100 butterfly (93-94 season)
Marshall Dortch brings more than 20 years of water polo coaching experience to the pool, with a long-standing commitment to athlete development, team culture, and competitive excellence.
Over the course of his career, Coach Dortch has worked with athletes at multiple age groups and skill levels, focusing on building strong fundamentals, game intelligence, and confidence in the water.
Known for his steady leadership and high standards, he emphasizes accountability, work ethic, and respect for the team-first mindset that defines successful programs.
Coach Dortch is deeply invested in long-term player development—helping athletes grow not only as competitors, but as teammates and leaders.
His passion for the sport and dedication to the water polo community continue to shape positive, challenging, and rewarding experiences for the athletes he coaches.
Nick Ellis
14U Boys Coach
Nick was cut after his first water polo tryout at age 11. Fortunately his younger brother made the team and his mom lobbied for Nick to stay on as well. Nick went on to win national championships with the SoCal club team in 13U, 15U, and 17U. He made his first US National Youth team at age 13, and continued through the Junior National and Senior National B teams. In high school, Nick helped win his school’s first CIF Division 1 championship and was voted a three-time All-American, Academic All American, and CIF Player of the Year. At Stanford, Nick redshirted his freshman year and then started the next four years. He graduated Stanford as captain of the ’01 and ’02 NCAA championship teams, third on the school’s all time saves list, a 4-time NCAA All American, 4-time NCCA Academic All American, 4-time MPSF All American, and NCAA postgraduate scholarship winner. Nick received Stanford’s “Block S” Award in 2001 as the school’s most outstanding male athlete in the Junior class, the same year he set the NCAA record for fewest goals against average. Since Stanford, Nick has continued to compete with the Olympic Club. He looks forward to sharing his passion for the sport with our players, and developing them as both individuals and a team.
Patrick Ryken
18 and 16U Boys Coach
I began my water polo journey at Ohlone College, competing two years and earning All-Conference in 2nd year.
I began coaching water polo first as an assistant for Ohlone College, then as Irvington High’s 1st water polo coach. After Graduate School for PT, and starting a family (wife Amy, and kids Tommy, Lucy, and Johnny (current Neptune), I returned to coaching at Castro Valley High in 2016, helping start their 1st water polo teams.
I continue to coach at CVHS as Varsity Boys Head Coach, and am privileged to be coaching in my 2nd year with the Neptunes 16U / 18U Boys program.
Brandon Williams
16U Boys Coach
Brandon Williams has been coaching high school and age groups water polo throughout the bay area for almost three decades.
His first true season of coaching was as an assistant coach for his alma mater Berkeley High School.
In 2001 Brandon became the Head Coach of the Berkeley High Schools Girls Team. Since then he has remained coaching Water Polo and Swimming from age group level through a Collegiate Club Water Polo Women’s Championship in 2022.
Where he received coach of the Tournament honors. And the Women’s University of
California at Berkeley Bears gained the #1 ranking in the Nation for Collegiate Club Water Polo Association.
He has shared the deck with and coached in the water with and against, past and
at the time future Division One Collegiate Athletes, Coaches, and Olympian’s.
2002-2003 College park Girls Head Coach, 2004-2007 Miramonte JVGirls Head Coach,
2008-2011 Tamalpais Girls Head Coach, 2012-2018 Campolindo Assistant Coach Girls and Boys and Swimming JV Coach.
Throughout those years he helped coach with the following programs SRVLA, Devil Mountain Water Polo Club(currently called Diablo Alliance), Golden Bear Water Polo Club( currently called Lamorinda Water Polo Club), Marin Water Polo Club, Everist CORE Water Polo, and later coached with Lamorinda Water Polo Club, as well as
ORCA Water Polo.
From Splash ball all the way up to 18U Boys and Girls, Brandon has coached it. Some of these teams over the years have become League Champions, NCS Champions, State Champions, age group Champions, and Junior Olympics Champions
Brian Del Cid
14-u boys & 12-u coed Coach
Brian Del Cid
I grew up in this club, starting water polo at just seven years old and playing throughout my entire pre-college career. The sport shaped who I am, both in and out of the pool. As I progressed into high school, a major injury sidelined me for my first two years, but I returned to help lead Encinal High School to an NCS appearance in 2019 during my senior season. That time away from the pool deepened my love for the game and sparked my desire to give back as a coach.
I began coaching in late 2022 as the JV coach at Encinal High School and shortly after joined the Neptunes coaching staff as a 14U coach. Since then, I’ve coached multiple seasons at Encinal, including the past two years as boys’ head coach. I am currently part of the Neptunes 12U and 14U coaching staffs and am committed to helping the club that raised me continue to grow and develop strong, confident athletes.
Bayani Flores
Bayani grew up in Alameda and has been immersed in aquatics his entire life. He attended Encinal High School, where he competed in both swimming and water polo. In swimming, he won NCS titles in two events and earned All-American honors. In water polo, he was named league MVP and led the NCS in goals scored during his senior year, accomplishments that ultimately earned him a place in the Encinal High School Hall of Fame.
Bayani continued his athletic career at Diablo Valley College, where he earned First Team All-American honors in both water polo and swimming. He won state championships in three swimming events, was state high point winner, and was later inducted into the Diablo Valley College Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the water.
After DVC, Bayani attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he retired from water polo to focus exclusively on swimming. As a Golden Bear, he became an All-American in 6 events, NCAA finalist, Senior National finalist, and competed in two U.S. Olympic Trials.
Following college, Bayani transitioned into coaching at both the high school and college club levels, working with Ygnacio Valley High School, Diablo Club, and the Cal Water Polo Club. During his two seasons coaching at Cal, the team finished runner-up at the state championships both years. Bayani continues to compete in Masters water polo at the national and international levels and has earned additional All-American honors. He is also an experienced high school water polo referee and has been selected annually to officiate the North Coast Section Championships. Now that his children have begun playing water polo, Bayani is excited to return to coaching and share his extensive experience with the next generation of athletes.
Chris Wood
12u coed
Chris began playing water polo in middle school and continued through high school and college. He has been actively involved in the sport for over 30 years, including competing with the East Bay Masters Water Polo team in local, national, and international tournaments. Chris is passionate about developing young athletes and helping them build strong fundamentals, confidence, and a lifelong love for the sport.
Ariel Pun
10u Coach
Hi, my name is Ariel and I am the 10u coed coach. I have been coaching this program since Marshall added it to Neptune’s program back in 2016. We started with just 6 players on our roster and have now grown it tremendously.
I played water polo for Alameda High School and played club for the Neptune’s during my time there. I really enjoy working with this age group because for the most part, it is their first introduction to water polo and everything is so new and exciting.
I am also a swim coach for the Gators swim team so you can almost always find me at one of the pools in town. In my down time, I like to hangout with my dog and go try out new food places :)