Irvine, Calif. – (March 31, 2026) – USA Water Polo announced its 42nd class of inductees into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. This year's four honorees represent athletic and coaching excellence from the collegiate and club ranks up to the world stage at the Olympic Games.
The 2026 class includes the 2012 Olympic gold medalist Annika Dries who, in London, helped the US women's team win its first Olympic title, and the 2008 Olympic silver medalist Peter Hudnut who, in Beijing, helped the US men's team end its 20-year medal drought at the Games. In addition, the class features women's water polo coaching legend Carin Crawford, the all-time winningest coach in San Diego State University history, and Chris Judge, who turned his stellar athletic career at Fordham into decades of success playing and coaching at the New York Athletic Club.
Chris Judge has excelled on so many levels – as both a player and coach – that he has become synonymous with New York City water polo. He first started attending practices with his father, Francis X. Judge (a USAWP Hall of Famer) before age-group water polo even existed in New York City.
In 1976, Chris joined the Fordham Rams where his water polo career truly began to take off. He is considered one of the greatest Rams to ever cap up and was a 1996 inductee into the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame for both swimming and water polo. He earned All-East honors as both a field player and in goal and served as team captain. At the same time, he was a mainstay at the New York Athletic Club starting in 1976. As a player and coach, Judge helped NYAC win 14 National Championships. He also recruited and built rosters that featured some of the most dynamic players in USA Water Polo history. In 2011, he was inducted into the NYAC Hall of Fame.
Not long after his undergraduate days, he was head coach at Fordham from 1982 to 1989 and led the team to five Metropolitan titles and one Mid-Atlantic conference championship.
As a coach, he also guided the Army men's club team to five New York division titles plus appearances at the club nationals each year. Judge was also named Coach of the Year each year for his efforts. In addition, Judge coached several age group programs at Greenwich Aquatics (CT) and Hudson Valley Water Polo (NY).
Judge is also an active participant in Masters water polo. He won two gold medals at the 2014 & 2017 FINA World Masters Championship with Santa Barbara and several USA Water Polo Masters National titles. Today, he is President of the Hudson Valley WP Club, and a former Chairman of Water Polo at the New York Athletic Club.
The Hall of Fame induction luncheon will be held June 19 at 11 a.m. pacific at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Brea North Orange County in Brea, California. To purchase individual tickets, tables, or program ads
click here. To learn more about the Hall of Fame, including a look at all the past inductees,
click here.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc., is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 45,000 members, USAWP also is the sanctioning authority for more than 500 member clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport throughout the U.S., fostering grass-roots expansion while providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches, and officials. For more information, visit
www.usawaterpolo.org.
