For the first time since 1986, the Fenwick High School boys water polo program will be led by a person whose last name isn’t Perry — a legendary name in Illinois high school aquatics, which has been synonymous with the school’s success over the years.
The school issued a press release on Feb. 9, announcing Beto Garcia as the Friars’ new head coach.
“I am honored and enthusiastic to be the boys water polo coach here at Fenwick,” said Garcia, who has served as Fenwick’s aquatic director for two years. “I look forward to beginning this exciting new chapter in my career.”
A Brother Rice graduate, Garcia played collegiately at Queens College in New York, helping his team win multiple championships. He went into coaching afterward and created water polo programs at De La Salle Institute and Little Village High School in Chicago, while also leading the Chicago Park District Water Polo Club for 14 years.
“As coaches, we are in the business of building athletes into local champions and national competitors,” Garcia said. “Along the way, I have been blessed to cultivate those relationships into good friendships, which in the end is what matters most.”
Garcia realizes Fenwick has a tradition of excellence in water polo, much of it cultivated by the late Dave Perry and sustained by his son Kyle. Seventeen of the Friars’ 20 state championships and 25 of the school’s 38 Chicago Catholic League/Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference titles happened under their watch (Dave from 1987-2011, Kyle from 2012-2023).
It’s a daunting challenge to uphold the program’s lofty standards, but it’s also something Garcia relishes.
“The Fenwick High School water polo program is well-known locally, regionally, and nationally,” he said. “I look forward to contributing my skills and experience to developing the current athletes and making this a fruitful destination for future Friars. I anticipate building a bond with our athletes that translates into success in the classroom, in the pool, and in life.”
