EMMITSBURG, Md. (October 8, 2025) – Mount St. Mary's water polo Head Coach Justin Vink announced the addition of Ognjen Cerkez as assistant coach for both the men's and women's water polo programs on Wednesday. Cerkez joins Vink and fellow Serbian, Ivan Zivojinovic in the front row as men's water polo hits the heart of their conference schedule in the build-up to the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championships hosted by Fordham University from November 21-23.
 
Cerkez brings a plethora of water polo experience to Emmitsburg. A member of the Ottawa University Arizona men's water polo team from 2023-25, Cerkez was the starting goalkeeper for the Spirit when they won the 2023 NAIA men's water polo national championship. He was a part of the Ottawa team that finished as NAIA runner-up in 2024, being named to the All-NAIA team the same year.
 
Before Ottawa, Cerkez was a member of the Cypress College men's water polo team from 2022-23 and the Westcliff University men's water polo team from 2021-22, finishing as runner up with the Warriors in the 2021 NAIA national championship.
 
Before playing in America, Cerkez had a very successful career in his native Serbia, most recently playing Stari Grad from 2020-21 while competing in the u-20 Serbian Championship. Prior to Stari Grad, Cerkez played for VK Novi Beograd in the Serbian Second Division from 2017-2020. Cerkez spent his youth career at VK Partizan with Zivojinovic, winning the 2015 u-15 Serbian League and Cup with partizan.
 
Cerkez graduated from Ottawa University Arizona in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management.