{{Short description|American water polo player (born 1998)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Dylan Woodhead | full_name = | image = | caption = | sport = Water Polo | position=Defender<br>Usually Field Defender, Utility Player<ref name=Stanford/> | collegeteam=Stanford University | coach=John Vargas (Stanford)<br>Dejan Udovičić (2024 Olympics) | event = | club = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|9|25|mf=yes}} | birth_place = San Anselmo, California, US<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-water-polo/athletes/Dylan-Woodhead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801212920/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-water-polo/athletes/Dylan-Woodhead|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 1, 2021|title=Dylan Woodhead|publisher=Team USA|access-date=1 August 2021}}</ref> | death_date = | death_place = | height = 2.01 m | weight = 210 lbs.<ref name=Stanford/> | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's water polo}} {{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalBronze|2024 Paris|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|World Cup}} {{MedalBronze|2023 Los Angeles|}} {{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}} {{MedalGold|2023 Santiago|}} }} '''Dylan Woodhead''' (born September 25, 1998) is an American water polo player who competed for Stanford University and participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris where the U.S. team won a bronze medal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/water-polo/athlete-profile-n1320524-woodhead-dylan.htm|title=Water Polo - WOODHEAD Dylan|work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics|publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|access-date=2021-08-01|archive-date=2021-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801134933/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/water-polo/athlete-profile-n1320524-woodhead-dylan.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marinij.com/2019/12/19/marins-dylan-woodhead-hopes-for-spot-on-u-s-olympic-water-polo-team/|title=Marin's Dylan Woodhead hopes for spot on U.S. Olympic water polo team|date=December 20, 2019}}</ref>
== Early life == Dylan Woodhead was born September 25, 1998 in San Anselmo, California to mother Laura and father Jeff Woodhead. Destined to be an athlete, his mother swam for Stanford, and his father rowed for the crew team at the University of California. Brother Quinn played water polo for Stanford, and sister Ella competed with the U.S. cadet team and also played water polo for Stanford.<ref name=TeamUSA/> The three siblings grew up with a home pool, and played water basketball together.<ref name=family/> Under the training and management of Coach Matt Swanson, Dylan played water polo for San Anselmo's Drake High School, more recently known as Archie Williams High. Dylan's high school coach Matt Swanson had played water polo for UCLA, and was part of the UCLA team that won the NCAA team championship in 1995 and 1996. Swanson emphasized both swimming and water polo skills as a high school coach.<ref name=Swanson2>{{cite web|url=https://awhspitch.com/14098/news/matt-swanson-hall-of-fame/|title=Altman, Giana, Kastner, Elsa, December 3, 2025, "Coach Matt Swanson inducted into Marin Athletic Hall of Fame"|access-date=April 19, 2026}}</ref><ref name=Swanson>{{cite web|url=https://sleepyhollowaquatics.com/coaching-staff|title=Sleeply Hollow Aquatics Coaching Staff, Matt Swanson|access-date=April 19, 2026}}</ref><ref name=Drake>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/644081823/?match=1&terms=%22Dylan%20Woodhead%22%20AND%20%22swimming%22|title="Drake Boy's Water Polo Squad Tops Foothill", ''The Sacramento Bee'', Sacramento, California, November 7, 2014, pg. B13|access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref><ref name=family>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1117139611/?match=1&terms=%22Dylan%20Woodhead%22%20AND%20%22water%20polo%22|title="Siblings Looking to Make U.S. Water Polo Teams for the Paris Games", ''The Patriot-News'', Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, May 25, 2024, pg. M13|access-date=April 19, 2026}}</ref>
Woodhead was Varsity captain of his high school team at Drake in both 2014 and 2015, and was a CIF Division I honoree for first team in both 2014 and 2015. As a Senior, he led the Drake High team to a 29–1 record scoring 70 season goals, and being credited with 38 assists. For his achievements, in 2015, Woodhead was a Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) Player of the Year, and a Player of the Year for the ''Marin Independent Journal''.<ref name=Stanford/>
== Stanford University == Dylan attended and competed in Water Polo for Stanford University, where he was coached by John Vargas and graduated in 2020, with a major in mechanical engineering. In 2019, he helped lead Stanford's men's water polo to an NCAA national title.<ref name=TeamUSA>{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/dylan-woodhead-838516|title=TeamUSA, athlete bio, Dylan Woodhead|access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref><ref name=Vargas>{{cite web|url=https://usawaterpolo.org/honors/hall-of-fame/john-vargas/240|title=TeamUSA Water Polo Hall of Fame, John Vargas|access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref><ref name=Stanford>{{cite web|url=https://gostanford.com/sports/mens-water-polo/roster/player/dylan-woodhead|title=Stanford Sports, #10 Dylan Woodhead|access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref> In addition to playing on the team that won the 2019 NCAA team championship title, Woodhead was a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference team champion in both 2018 and 2019. A noteworthy and consistent scholar throughout his collegiate career, Woodhead received ACWPC honors as an All-Academic from 2016-2019, and was a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic Athlete-Scholar from 2017-2019.<ref name=Stanford/>
==Olympics== Woodhead participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where the U.S. men's Water Polo team placed sixth overall.<ref name=Olympedia/>
Woodhead later participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where the U.S. men's water polo team placed third in team competition, winning the bronze medal, and were coached by Dejan Udovicic.<ref name=Udovicic>{{cite web|url=https://usawaterpolo.org/news/2024/6/18/mens-senior-national-team-usa-water-polo-announces-2024-us-olympic-mens-water-polo-team.aspx|title=USA Water Polo, Men's Senior National Team, June 18, 2024, "USA Water Polo Announces 2024 U.S. Olympic Men's Water Polo Team"|access-date=April 19, 2026}}</ref> Serbia took the gold medal and the team from Croatia took the silver. In the preliminary rounds in 2024, the team from Serbia, a pre-Olympic favorite only won two of its first five preliminary games, but advanced as the last placed team to qualify. Serbia defeated the team from Greece in the important qualifiers by a score of 12-11, and teams from Spain and Italy also lost. Serbia had performed better in the semi-finals, and had beaten the United States by a score of 10-6 and faced Croatia in the final round to determine the gold and silver medals. Serbia won the gold and silver medal match against Croatia, thus giving Serbia the gold and Croatia the silver medal. In the match to determine the bronze medal, the U.S. team beat Hungary during penalty shots to win its first medal since taking the silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/147495|title=Olympedia Biography, Dylan Woodhead|access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://gostanford.com/sports/mens-water-polo/roster/dylan-woodhead/16631 Stanford Cardinal bio]
{{United States men's water polo squad 2018 FINA World Cup}} {{United States men's water polo squad 2020 Summer Olympics}} {{United States men's water polo squad 2023 Pan American Games}} {{United States men's water polo squad 2024 World Aquatics Championships}} {{United States men's water polo squad 2024 Summer Olympics}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodhead, Dylan}} Category:1998 births Category:Living people Category:Water polo players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:American male water polo players Category:People from San Anselmo, California Category:Sportspeople from Marin County, California Category:Stanford Cardinal men's water polo players Category:Water polo players at the 2023 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2023 Pan American Games Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in water polo Category:Water polo players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in water polo Category:21st-century American sportsmen