McKendree University Athletics

McKendree University men's and women’s water polo Head Coach Colleen Lischwe announced the addition of Candice Vorbeck as an assistant coach for the 2021-22 season. Vorbeck joins the Bearcats after serving as the assistant coach for men's and women's teams for four seasons at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Claremont, California. Vorbeck will be entering her second season with McKendree's water polo programs in 2022-23.
 
“I am lucky to have already worked with Candice as an athlete and have had the opportunity to watch her grow into a strong leader both in and out of the water” said Lischwe. “She is a fantastic addition to our team and having both played and coached at an exceptionally high level, I am confident that she will immediately elevate our student-athlete’s water polo IQ’s and level of play. Candice brings a lot of talent to the pool deck with her, and I am thrilled that our men and women will have the opportunity to learn from her on a daily basis.”
 
“I am ecstatic to be joining the Bearcat family” said Vorbeck. “I'd like to thank Head Coach Colleen Lischwe for her support in entrusting me with the roles of Assistant Men's and Women's Water Polo Coach and Head Men's Club Team Coach. In their first five seasons, our programs have established themselves as leaders within their respective conferences and I am thrilled to contribute to taking them to the next level. I am so excited to being a part of such driven, hardworking, and passionate teams. I cannot wait to assist our teams in being as successful, prepared, and relentless as we can be.”
 
During her time at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Vorbeck played a role in their teams being named three-time Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Regular Season Champions and two-time SCIAC Tournament Champions. Candice and the Stagehens had two NCAA Tournament Appearances, and she was a member of the SCIAC coaching staff of the year in 2018. 
 
While coaching the Stagehens, Vorbeck was also the head coach of the Bonita High School girls water polo team and assistant to the boys team from 2017 to 2020. In her time at Bonita, the Bearcats had five CIF division three tournament appearances. 
 
In addition to coaching the Bearcats at Bonita High School, Vorbeck was also head coach of the Foothill Club Water Polo 10U team and the 12U girls team at Huntington Beach Water Polo Club from 2015-2016. There she won a gold medal in the platinum division at the 2016 Junior Olympics.
 
Following her time with the Stagehens, Vorbeck’s high school coaching experience culminated in the Spring 2021 season when she was named the inaugural head coach of the Ladue Horton Watkins High School girls’ team in St. Louis, Missouri. As the head coach, Vorbeck led the first-year program to a top four finish. 
 
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri Vorbeck played for Eureka High School and Lafayette High School. She was named Missouri Female Player of the Year from 2012-2014 and was named to multiple all-conference teams while in high school. She went on to play water polo at Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach, California for two seasons and transferred to University of La Verne to finish her playing career. She led her team to the highest SCIAC Conference Tournament record in recent history with a second-place finish in 2016.  
 
Vorbeck graduated from the University of La Verne in Spring 2021.