Cristian Tanase enters his third season as an assistant coach with the San José State University women’s water polo program. A proud alumnus of the SJSU men’s water polo team, Tanase brings both collegiate playing and coaching experience to the pool deck.
His coaching background includes head coaching roles at several Bay Area high schools, including The Harker School and Adrian Wilcox High School, as well as an assistant position at Los Gatos High School. While leading the girls’ program at The Harker School, his team earned the highest ranking in program history, finishing second in the 2022 Central Coast Section Championship.
Tanase also coaches with the San Jose Express Water Polo Club and contributes to USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) as an assistant with the Pacific Zone Cadet Team. In 2025, he was honored with the Top Coach Award at the ODP National Championships.
Tanase graduated from San José State in 2021 with a degree in Kinesiology (exercise science concentration) and a minor in Nutrition for Sport Performance. During his undergraduate years, he was recognized as a Dean’s Scholar (2019–2021) and a two-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Academic All-American.
He earned his master’s degree in Sport Psychology at San José State in 2022, serving as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach. In that role, he led training protocols for women’s water polo, men’s water polo, women’s swimming & diving, and track & field athletes, developing programs to enhance their physical preparation and performance.
Originally from Bucharest, Romania, Tanase grew up competing with Steaua Bucharest and Rapid Bucharest before coming to the U.S. to continue his athletic and academic career.