Stanford Hires Three-Time NCAA Champ Dani Jackovich as Water Polo Assistant
Stanford this week announced the hiring of Dani Jackovich as an assistant coach for the women’s water polo program.
Jackovich competed for the Cardinal from 2014-17, winning three NCAA titles. She is transitioning into coaching after 10 years spent playing professionally in six countries. She’s been a member of the Australian national team since 2023, making the team for the Paris Olympics and helping the Aussie Stingers win a silver medal. She’s the first non-American Olympic medalist and 14th overall produced by the program.
She now joins the staff of her former coach, John Tanner.
“We are extremely excited to have Dani back in our program, this time as a coach,” John Tanner said in a press release. “She brings globally relevant experience as a player and leader, insightful views on skill development, and highly valuable technical and analytical skills. Dani will be a wonderful role model for our program and an important bridge builder across campus.”
Jackovich is a native of New Lenox, Illinois, who moved to Australia in 2019. She scored her first goal of the tournament in the gold-medal game against Spain. She also played for the national team at the World Championships in 2024 and 2025.
Her professional highlights include a busy 2026 in which she won the MVP Award in the Australian water polo league with champions Cronulla Sharks and an Italian Serie A1 title with Orrizonte.
In college, she scored 106 goals with 11 hat tricks in winning NCAA titles in 2014, 2015 and 2017. She was a four-time ACWPC All-Academic recipient and three-time MPSF All-Academic selection, graduating with a degree in biomechanical engineering. In addition to her playing career, she’s worked in app development and account management with 6-8 Sports and Delfina Sport.
“Returning to Stanford as a coach is both a privilege and a full-circle moment for me,” Jackovich said. “Stanford has played a profound role in shaping my life, and I am excited for the opportunity to give back to a community that has given me so much. I look forward to contributing to the continued success of this program while helping the next generation of student-athletes achieve their goals in and out of the pool.”
