A two-time San José State University All-American, Beth Harberts is in her third season as the Spartans’ women’s water polo head coach.
In her first two seasons as the Spartans head coach, San José State was ranked No. 14 in the final national coaches poll in 2020 and #16 in 2021. The 2020 season was highlighted by a win over #6-Cal on the Berkeley campus and a #14-ranking in the final national coaches poll.
Each season, one Spartan was named an honorable mention All-America player by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC). In 2021, it was Lili Urvari and Olga Descalzi received the same recognition in 2020.
Academically, San José State ranks with the top women's water polo teams nationally and in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) - the No. 1 conference nationally in the sport. In 2020 and 2021, the Spartans earned two ACWPC team awards, 26 ACWPC individual honors, and 25 MPSF academic awards. Only UCLA can match San José State for the number of MPSF all-academic awards the last two seasons.
Harberts was appointed the head coach in August 2019 after three seasons on the San Jose State men’s and women's water polo coaching staff as an assistant coach. She was a volunteer assistant for the men's team in 2015.
The Spartan women’s water polo head coach has a vast array of club and community college coaching experience since she finished her San Jose State playing career in 2008.
She was the West Valley College women’s water polo head coach for six seasons (2009-14). The 2014 Vikings team was her best, posting a 12-10 win-loss record, a second-place finish in the regular season Coast Conference standings, second place in the conference tournament and an invitation to the NorCal Championship.
As the 2015 San Jose State men’s club team head coach, Harberts led the club to a 16th-place ranking in the final national poll and was named the Sierra Pacific Conference Coach of the Year.
She also has head coaching experience with co-ed, boys, and girls club programs in the U12, U14, U16 and U18 age ranges in Santa Clara County.
One of the top goal scorers in school history, Harberts was the seventh San Jose State women’s water polo player to score at least 100 goals and finished her career with 112 scores. She was a 2007 third-team All-American as a junior and an honorable mention All-American her senior season. The 2007 Spartans were the first San Jose State team to score 300 goals in a season and were ranked sixth in the final national coaches’ poll.
The 2007 San Jose State University graduate majored in kinesiology. She was a two-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Scholar All-American and a three-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) All-Academic team honoree. Harberts earned her master’s degree in kinesiology from San Jose State in 2014.
She has certifications as an aquatics facilities operator, an American Red Cross lifeguard instructor, an American Red Cross lifeguard, and CPR/AED for the professional rescuer.