Marble City Otters
About Us
Go Otters!
Before we started Marble City Water Polo in 2023, we were looking for an accessible water polo club that wasn’t hours away and we couldn’t find one.
So we made our own.
Marble City Water Polo is bringing water polo to East Tennessee. We offer competitive youth water polo programs from March through October. No experience is necessary to join!
MCWP is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Marble City Water Polo Coaches
Train With The Best Otters
Your water polo goals may change over time, but the desire to improve is always there. Our coaches are committed to helping you reach and exceed the next level of performance, no matter where you begin.
Kevin Heinrich
Head Coach
Kevin brings nearly three decades of water polo experience to Knoxville. Before starting Marble City Water Polo in 2023, Kevin started Bluff City Water Polo in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2013. That program grew to 100+ families and is still active. Prior to that, he coached the University of Richmond Women’s club team for several years.
Kevin began officiating for the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) after graduating college. In 2012, he was selected to officiate the National Collegiate Club Championships at Oregon State. He was chosen to officiate the same tournament in 2016 (Notre Dame) and 2024 (Florida). In 2017, he served as a goal judge at the NCAA Women's Championships in Indianapolis. He remains an active official for the CWPA. Additionally, he helped form the Tennessee Water Polo Officials Association (TNWPOA), which is the organization that is responsible for staffing the high school competitions in the state.
Renee Sowko
Assistant Coach, Masters Manager
Before joining MCWP, Renee hadn't been involved in water polo since playing in high school in California. She got connected with MCWP while looking for opportunities to start a masters water polo team in Knoxville, and has been an assistant Otter coach since the 2023 inaugural season. In addition to managing the masters program, her goals are to boost interest in the sport and encourage youth participation.
Assistant Coach
Coach Evans started his water polo career back in his junior year at Arlington High School. He continued to play with Bluff City Water Polo and club water polo at UTK. This is where he and his fellow freshman helped grow the club from just 7 people to the 25 that the club is known for today. As a coach, Evans began in the summer of 2019 as a freshman until he was a sophomore. Coach Evans then joined MCWP as a coach in March of 2024. He currently coaches for UTK and MCWP, with his determination to keep teaching others about our ever-growing sport in Tennessee.
Assistant Coach, 12U Coach
Coach Joey has been an avid water polo fan since starting on Bearden high school’s team his freshman year. After graduating, he continued to play at Vanderbilt University where he helped keep the club team alive during the COVID-19 pandemic. With nearly 10 years of experience as a swim coach, Joey hopes to foster strong sportsmanship, teamwork, and water polo skills!
Evans Baird
Joey Knight
Assistant Coach, 12U Coach
Erica is a San Diego native and a 2022 graduate of Grossmont High School. She has been involved in swimming and water polo for over eight years and has spent the past two years coaching. While her primary position is goalie, she has gained valuable experience coaching players of all positions and age groups.
In 2022, Erica played Division I water polo as the starting goalie at California State University, Northridge. She later continued both her academic and athletic journey at Grossmont College, where she competed in swimming and water polo. During her time there, she placed 8th in the state in the 50 freestyle and earned a spot on the All-PCAC First Team.
Erica has coached athletes ranging in age from 4 to 18 through East County Aquatics in San Diego. She also served as the head JV coach at Grossmont High School, where she built a new team and focused on teaching the fundamentals of water polo. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Erica Neri
