The message was clear and simple: Make the best of your opportunities, leave everything in the pool and have a good balance between academics and athletics. That was what Cerritos College women's water polo coach Sergio Macias conveyed on Friday night at the Holiday Inn Select in La Mirada when he was giving his presentation speech after being inducted into the Whittier College Hall of Fame.

From 1997-2001, Macias was the cornerstone of a Whittier College men's water polo team that turned from a struggling program into a contender year in and year out. During his time with the Poets, Macias was named an American Water Polo Coaches Division III First Team All-American three times, First Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) three times; SCIAC Player of the Year in 1998; First Team All-Western Water Polo Association in 1999 and WWPA Honorable Mention in 1998 and 2000. He was named the Purple and Gold Freshman Athlete of the Year in 1997 and still holds the college's career goals scored record (417).

Coming from small Bell Gardens High School, the decision to attend Whittier College became an easy one after his recruiting trip. He had already taken recruiting trips to both Pepperdine University and USC, but chose to stay in the area because he already knew several people there, especially head coach Mitch Carty, who was his presenter for the Hall of Fame.

"I played against Mitch's brother in high school and when it came time to make a decision on what college to go to, they were very honest and genuine in their approach," stated Macias. "Mitch's whole family embraced me and it just felt like the right place to be. I have absolutely no regrets about choosing Whittier."

While Macias was at Bell Gardens High, he saw the program go on the rise after several of his friends from Commerce Aquatics followed him. During his four years in high school, Macias helped lead his teams to four consecutive league titles, including back-to-back CIF-SS championships in 1995 and 1995. He was named the CIF-SS Division III Player of the Year during those championship seasons and still holds the CIF-SS career goals record with 706.

"Being honored by Whittier College is a reflection of what I've done," added Macias. "I never really thought about all of that stuff because I've always been someone who continuously moves forward. It's always great to be acknowledged by your alma mater. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces that I haven't seen in a lot of years. It's a great honor to be recognized by the college and when I went onto the campus the day of the induction, I felt very comfortable there. They made me feel as welcomed as I did when I was a student-athlete for them."

The success Macias experienced in the pool continued once he graduated and started his coaching career. After working with Commerce Aquatics, he took over a struggling Montebello High program and in four years, led the boy's and girl's teams to three straight league championship seasons, while the boy's team won back-to-back CIF championships. Macias was named CIF Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004, Los Angeles Times Coach of the Year in 2003 and Whittier Daily News Coach of the Year in 2004. 

Now in his 10th year as the Cerritos College women's water polo and swimming coach, Macias has amassed an impressive 226-61 record entering the 2014 season. In 2008, he guided the Falcons to the CCCAA State Championship, while his teams have reached the Southern California Regional Playoffs six times and has won five South Coast Conference championships. Macias has been named South Coast Conference Coach of the Year five times and was named Community College State Water Polo Coach of the Year in 2008. He also serves as the swim coach and guided his team to a conference championship in 2009 and 19 swim records have been broken during his tenure as coach. Macias also serves as the Community College Vice President for Women's Water Polo, and is the Physical Education Department Chair. Macias also is a SCAF water polo official and was selected to referee the National Junior Olympic Tournaments in 2013 and 2014.

"I've always believed that hard work and dedication are what it takes to be successful," said Macias. "I played with no regrets and left everything I had in the pool. I'm honored that Whittier College recognized my accomplishments and I enjoyed my time there. I believe that the time I spent there, and what I learned from Mitch, helped me to be the kind of coach that I am today. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Whittier College."

Below are his accolades while at Whittier College: 

• 4 letters M Water Polo (97-98, 98-99, 99-00, 00-01)
• 1 letter M Swimming and Diving (97-98)
• M Water Polo Captain (98-99, 99-00, 00-01)
• M Water Polo MVP (98-99, 00-01)
• M Water Polo Rookie of the Year (97-98)
• M Swimming and Diving MVP (97-98)
• M Water Polo SCIAC Player of the Year (98-99)
• All SCIAC M Water Polo 1st Team (97-98, 99-00, 00-01)
• All Western Water Polo Association 1st Team (99-00)
• All Western Water Polo Association Honorable Mention (98-99, 00-01)
• American Water Polo Coaches Division III All American 1st Team (98-99, 99-00, 00-01)
• Purple and Gold Freshman Athlete of the Year (97-98)
• M Water Polo Career Scoring Record (417) (97-01) – STILL STANDS