Ilija Duretic
2024 ACWPC Division I Assistant Coach of the Year | Fordham Assistant Coach
Ilija Duretic returns for another season with Fordham water polo and helped lead the Rams to a historic 2024 campaign that reached the NCAA Championship semifinals. Fordham finished 32-1, went undefeated in the regular season, won a fourth straight MAWPC title, and became the first non-California program to reach No. 1 in the national Top 20 poll. Under his leadership, five Fordham athletes earned All-America honors in 2024. In 2023, Fordham won another MAWPC title and earned another NCAA Championship berth while staying ranked all season. Before Fordham, Ilija served as head coach of both men's and women's programs at St. Francis Brooklyn, where he led consecutive NWPC final appearances and earned 2022 NWPC Coach of the Tournament honors. He also coached at Saint Andrew's School and FAU Water Polo Club and is a former St. Francis Brooklyn standout and four-time Serbian Junior National Champion.