COM Names Victor Wales as New Swim and Dive Coach
KENTFIELD / NOVATO, CA—August 9, 2018—The College of Marin (COM) Kinesiology and Athletics Department announced Victor Wales as the new swim and dive team coach. Wales takes over for Warren Lager, who retired after holding the position for more than two decades.
Wales brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to COM athletics. Most recently, Wales served as head swimming coach for the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He coached the Rainbow Warriors from 2005 through the 2016 season. During his tenure, he produced four conference championships and coached eight individuals to berths at the NCAA National Championships.
Wales attended the University of California (UC), Santa Barbara from 1988 to 1992 and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science. He swam for the Gauchos for four years under coach Gregg Wilson. Wales was a two-time team captain at UC Santa Barbara, a 10-time Conference Champion and an All-American in 1990. To top it off, Wales qualified for the Olympic Trials in both 1988 and 1992.
Following his collegiate career, Wales embarked on his coaching journey as an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara from 1992 to 1996. He also spent a year as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois before returning to UC Santa Barbara. Following the 1997-98 season, Wales took the position of head assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swim teams at Arizona State University (ASU). At ASU, Wales coached numerous outstanding Sun Devils, including four All-Americans and three Olympians.
Wales moved west in 2001, taking the position of women’s swimming head coach at San Jose State University. He remained there for five seasons and had 15 All-Conference academic selections during his tenure.
“I am very humbled and excited to become the new head coach for swimming and diving at College of Marin. I look forward to building upon the rich history and tradition created over the last 36 years by coach Lager. I would like to thank Athletic Director Ryan Byrne, whose vision and leadership inspired me to take this job. I look forward to working with the entire College of Marin community, and especially the student-athletes, in helping them achieve their goals,” said Wales.
Athletic Director Ryan Byrne stated, “Aside from his phenomenal experience in coaching elite student-athletes to perform at their very best, Victor has a tremendous understanding of what it takes for student-athletes to be successful in transferring to four-year institutions.” Byrne added, “He’s been highly successful in building positive relationships with student-athletes and has a proven track record of academic and athletic success in his programs. We believe he will be an asset in and out of the pool in supporting students to reach their goals.”
Wales is married with three children. They moved to the Bay Area in 2016. After a few years away from coaching, Wales is ready to dive back in.
The Mariners’ 2018 squad had a pair of swimmers make the state finals and both will be back for their sophomore seasons under coach Wales.
About College of Marin
Established in 1926, College of Marin remains committed to educational excellence, providing equitable opportunities, and fostering success in all members of its diverse community. With campuses in Kentfield and Novato, students of all ages have affordable access to an exciting variety of credit and noncredit courses as well as community education classes for lifelong learning. College of Marin is one of 114 public community colleges in California and approximately 13,000 credit, noncredit, and community education students enroll annually.
College of Marin is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 10 Commercial Boulevard, Suite 204, Novato, CA 94949, (415) 506-0234, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.