Auger Chooses Spring Break, Resigns Water Polo Post

You wouldn’t need two hands to count the number of high school coaches in Illinois who are head coaches in both the boys and girls swimming and diving programs at the same school.

Kevin Auger is even more unique. But after more than 20 years serving as a head coach for THREE varsity programs simultaneously at Evanston Township High School, he’s finally decided he needs a break.

Auger resigned last Friday as head boys water polo coach at ETHS, a position he has held since the spring of 2003. One of his former players, assistant coach Alex Negronida, will take over as interim head coach for the current spring season.

Under Auger’s guidance, the program was elevated from a club sport to a varsity sport at ETHS. He led the Wildkits to a third place finish at the Illinois High School Association state tournament in 2005 and again to the Elite Eight in 2018. Since 2003, Evanston has had just one losing season (12-15 in 2015) and Auger’s won-loss record as head coach includes 383 victories,192 losses and 6 ties.

His teams won 20 games six times during his tenure, including a school record 28 in 2018.

Not many individuals have spent more time on the deck of the ETHS pool. And the 64-year-old coach admitted that his decision wasn’t an easy one.

“I’m getting a little older now and I get about six days off a year. The timing is just right. It’s time for me to step back,” Auger said. “I’ve been going full bore for a lot of years, and this is what makes the most sense for me, to take some time off in March and April.

“Coaching in the summer at WSO (Wildkit Swim Organization), we haven’t had kids at the (club) Nationals every single year. But with the earlier start to the girls (high school) season now in the fall, some years the Nationals are actually during the first week of the high school season, so there’s no down time at all.

“Coaching water polo has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities to help our athletes grow, both in and out of the pool. I am proud of what we accomplished together as a team, and I will always cherish the memories of our time spent training, competing, and celebrating our shared successes.

“While I am stepping away from water polo, I am excited to continue coaching swimming at Evanston. My passion for working with our student-athletes remains as strong as ever.”

Auger, a Canadian native, came to Evanston after competing in swimming and water polo at Indiana University. He was hired to head the WSO program as a full-time club coach, then took over the ETHS boys and girls swim programs in 1997. He succeeded David Lee as the boys head polo coach in 2003.

“We are going to miss having Kevin on the pool deck in the spring,” said Evanston Athletic Director Chris Livatino, “and we are grateful to know he will continue to lead our Kits in the fall and winter for boys and girls swimming and diving.

“Alex (Negronida) has been an excellent assistant coach and is one of the all-time great Wildkit water polo players. I know he will do an excellent job leading the program forward.”

Auger’s success as head coach came even though swimmers who were considered “stars” or “starters” often opted NOT to play water polo over the past two decades. He made the most of the talent available, including winning the school’s first and only state trophy in boys polo in just his third season at the helm.

“I don’t know how many games we won in my tenure. It’s great for the kids that they won, but I get just as big a kick from watching kids improving, when they start from nothing, work hard and become something,” the coach explained. “There are times when they need direction, when they need to be pushed, when they need to be told ‘you can be great at this.’”

“It really was very rare for us to have the best swimmers compete in water polo. Over the years, a few of them did, but I knew they had other opportunities (off-season club competitions) and I didn’t chase anybody to come out for the sport. I just told the kids it’s fun, it’s different, it’s a chance for you to be good at another sport.

“I do have mixed emotions. To be honest, I wish I had 450 days in a (calendar) year instead of 365 to keep coaching everything. But there are other things in life, and this is just the best way for me to cut back.”