Notre Dame (Ohio), which is in its first year of the candidacy period in the Division II membership process, has announced it will add men’s and women’s water polo as varsity sports beginning in 2010.

The additions make Notre Dame the first institution in Ohio to offer water polo. The college also announced Brad Silver as the head coach for both programs.

Silver is a former water polo student-athlete at Southern California.

“Water polo has been an enormous part of my life for more than 30 years,” he said. “I appreciate Notre Dame’s support of the sport.” 

The Falcons already have begun recruiting student-athletes for their first season, fall 2010 for men and spring 2011 for women. Men’s and women’s water polo mark the institution’s 22nd and 23rd athletic programs. In 2009-10, Notre Dame added football and men’s and women’s bowling.