LEBANON, Ill. – Recent McKendree graduate, all-American, and national player of the year, Sydney Kane, formally announced her return as a graduate assistant for the water polo programs on Thursday, August 21st.
"Having Sydney back on in this new role is a natural fit," said Women's Water Polo Head Coach Alex Figueras. "I am confident that her knowledge and experience will prove invaluable to the team. Most importantly, our vision and goals for the program are completely aligned, and I am looking forward to getting started with building towards that vision."
Kane will join second-year graduate assistant, and another former all-American Bearcat player, Breno Tebet, in coaching both the men's and women's programs, with the former being primarily tasked to assist the women's team, while the latter will primarily assist the men's. Together, they will serve under the leadership of one of the sport's few father-and-son duos as Alex Figueras will head into his second season at the helm (third year overall) in the spring, and Miguel Figueras enters his first season with his team this fall.
"I am thrilled to be switching gears and stepping into the coaching world," said Kane. "After four incredible years with this team, I was not quite ready to say goodbye. Alex is an extremely knowledgeable coach, and I am excited for the opportunity to learn from someone with such a high water polo IQ and the same passion for the sport and this team that I have. This is going to be an exciting new chapter in my life, and I cannot wait to get started."
Kane's tenure in the pool was nothing short of excellence, having garnered a plethora of conference and national honors in all four years. Last year in her senior season, she won the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Division II Player of the Year award with an ACWPC First Team All-American nod after leading the team to its first-ever National Collegiate (NCAA) Water Polo Championships appearance.
Within the conference realm, the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), she snagged just about every possible accolade that she could throughout her career. Kane won WWPA Player of the Year (Sr.), First Team All-Conference (Sr.), Second Team All-Conference (Jr.), All-Conference Honorable Mention (Fr.), All-Defensive Team (Sr.), All-Freshman Team, and was the Most Outstanding Player on the All-Tournament Team (Sr.). The cage guardian had also won the WWPA Defensive Player of the Week honor five times, all within her final two years of play.
Not only was Kane's athletic impact one of the highest in McKendree University history, but her academic representation was also the most consistent. In all four years as a part of the Bearcat program, she was an All-Academic honoree, bestowed by both the WWPA and the ACWPC. She was also one of the few players from last year's team to be a recipient of the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award.
Kane closed out her career with 869 saves on a 55.5% save percentage while also totaling 84 steals and 13 assists. She recorded 10-plus saves in a game on 52 occasions, and her game-high was 21 against previous two-time championship winner, Biola University, in the 2025 WWPA Tournament championship game, where the Bearcats won 7-5. Kane's senior season saves (340), career saves (890), senior season goalkeeping starts (29), and senior season goalkeeping wins (21) are all program records.
The 2025 McKendree graduate brings in great leadership experience to the programs, having been a private swimming instructor for the past five years, as well as serving as both president and member on the school's Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), and was a member of the McKendree Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Committee (MADIC).
Kane graduated from McKendree University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2025, with minors in Honors Practicum and Clinical and Counseling Psychology.
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