By Bill Sheehan
 
FULLERTON, Calif. – Growing up in Napa, Nico D'Angelo and his brother Clayton competed for a local swimming club. Clayton, three years older, decided to play water polo when he became a freshman at Vintage High School.
 
Soon after, the boys' parents encouraged their younger son to try the sport too. Napa Valley lacked a water polo club, so he traveled 90 miles round-trip to compete in a Davis program. His dedication paid off – by the time he entered Vintage High, he was a standout player.
 
"We were on the team together that one season. Nico made the varsity team as a freshman, which was unheard of. I sat on the bench, but it didn't bother me. I had other passions beside sports. I was more than happy to sit back and watch him succeed," said Clayton of his brother, who broke multiple water polo records at Vintage.
 
While competing for Golden West College in Huntington Beach, the younger D'Angelo learned that Cal State Fullerton planned to revive its men's water polo program after a 38-year hiatus. He emailed new Titans head coach Kyle Witt and was invited for a campus tour and conversation in the spring of 2023.

"To get the program off the ground that first year, half of our recruits were juco players and the other half were high schoolers," said Witt, who scouted community college games after being hired by Fullerton. "Golden West has one of the best juco water polo programs. Nico was coming off the bench, but he was very smart, a hard worker and knew what to do and when to do it. You could tell he was a team-first guy. That was exciting for me."

 

Nico D'Angelo, 23, has been a cornerstone in the rebirth of the Fullerton men's water polo program.

The 23-year-old D'Angelo has been a cornerstone in the rebirth of Fullerton water polo. He has been among the team's leaders in points, goals and assists and has served as a captain for all three years. "He outworks a lot of opponents. Not to say they are lazy, but he puts in the critical work during practice," said Witt. "He is a natural leader and a coach in the water. He communicates with his teammates quickly and effectively. It's not a lecture – it's just a guy talking."
 
The Titans, who are 15-10 overall and 0-2 in Big West play, will face visiting UC Irvine (13-8, 1-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. at the campus pool. Fullerton continues to pursue its first conference win since 1985, when the original program was dropped.
 
"Irvine has really taken it to us the last two years," said Witt. "We will give it our best shot. We want to put our last two conference losses behind us. We're excited to put our best foot forward and pull off an upset."
 
D'Angelo leads the team in points (60), is second in assists (27) and third in goals (33). He plays as a driver, an attacker who plays a crucial role in creating scoring opportunities. "An assist is just as good as a goal. My job is to do the work to set up my teammates and make sure they are
succeeding," he said.
 
Alec Isaacman, a graduate student from Irvine, competed against D'Angelo on the community college level and is a Fullerton teammate nowadays. "Nico has a great work ethic and inspires people to work hard. I played against him when I was at Saddleback College. He was an aggressive, in-your-face player. I was very excited when I found he would be a teammate."
 
Clayton D'Angelo sees his brother as a water polo version of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. "He is a cerebral player. He sees a play developing in advance. Not only does he get to the right spot, but he also gets his teammates to the right spot with his ability to communicate quickly."
 
The 2025 season has gone well despite some challenges, D'Angelo said. "We had had the same team for the first two years. A new group of talent was added this year. Learning to blend those guys has been a bit of a learning process."
 
Fullerton lost its first four games – three against top 20 opponents – before going on a midseason 11-game winning streak. "That gave us a lot of momentum and some good results and wins. We felt we were playing our best water polo yet," D'Angelo said.
 
The Titans opened their conference season this month with losses to #10 Long Beach State and #6 UC Davis. "The Big West is one of the most competitive conferences, with some of the best players in the country. We just must keep working hard, game-planning and staying together, and we'll find a way to get good results."
 
The 5-foot-10 D'Angelo often finds himself up against opponents 4 or 5 inches taller. "Early on, I knew if I was going to succeed, it wasn't going to be by being bigger, faster and stronger than everybody. I needed to be smart, clever and do everything the team asked."
 
In club water polo in Davis, he played in higher-age groups. "I was the youngest guy in the under-14 and the under-16 competition, so I learned how to overcome a size disadvantage."
 
Born and raised in Napa, he was a three-time All-Vine Valley Athletic League First Team player and league MVP at Vintage High. He established school records for career goals and steals and single-season goals and steals. He also helped lead Vintage to a CIF semifinal.

At Vintage High School in Napa, Nico D'Angelo was a three-time All-Vine Valley Athletic League First Team player and league MVP as a senior.

 
D'Angelo, who graduated during the pandemic, received no scholarship offers from four-years colleges. "I didn't have any opportunities other than a few walk-ons." Instead, he found a home at Golden West College.
 
"The school is a water polo powerhouse and has won eight state championships. For jucos, if you wanted to go to the best, it was Golden West. I was excited to try something new, go out on my own and learn to be an adult and live somewhere else."
 
A valued reserve at Golden West, D'Angelo was part of two California Community College Athletic Association Championships. He earned All-Orange Empire Conference Second Team honors. He received an extra year of eligibility at Fullerton because of an NCAA waiver given to a limited number of former community college athletes.
 
D'Angelo said he was fortunate to live in the winery capital of the U.S. "Napa is such a beautiful place. I took it for granted when I was younger. As I get older, I appreciate it more."
 
His father, Dan, is a retired firefighter who gives private tours of Napa Valley wineries. His mother, Angela, teaches music at an elementary school. Clayton works for Tempe, Ariz.-based Music Celebrations International, which provides performance and education tours to music and dance ensembles.

Napa residents Dan and Angela D'Angelo with their sons Clayton and Nico. "Napa is such a beautiful place," says Nico D'Angelo.

 
D'Angelo has spent four years as a coach at Newport Beach Water Polo, one of the top youth programs in the country. "It's rewarding to see kids I coached now getting college scholarship offers," he said. Witt, the Titans coach, said he would love to have D'Angelo return to coach at Fullerton someday.

Nico Angelo has spent four years as a coach at Newport Beach Water Polo, one of the top youth programs in the country. "It's rewarding to see kids I coached now getting college scholarship offers."

 
He will graduate this spring with a Human Communications Studies degree with a minor in marketing. He plans on pursuing a master's in communications or a sports-related field. Coaching and firefighting are among his possible career tracks.
 
Like his mother and brother, music also has been part of his life. "I performed in choirs and did a lot of singing when I was younger. And I played a little piano, but I have lost my touch."
 
Isaacman, who has roomed with D'Angelo for three years, said they have had a lot of fun along the way. "Apart from building a team and a culture, we have tried to make sure we have a fun environment on the team and become friendly with the other teams. We have created an awesome community, and Nico is central to that."
 
In an era where colleges are taking away Olympic sports, D'Angelo said, it's been really cool to come in and create a whole culture based around water polo. "We have made our own traditions. For example, when a player scores his first goal at Fullerton, he must bring cookies or brownies for his teammates. That's something that will live for years after we are gone."

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