Victor Wales enters his fourth year at the helm of the men and women’s swimming program at the University of Hawai‘i. In his third full recruiting season, he has replenished the two programs with tons of talent, including a men’s class that was ranked No. 14 nationally this past year.

“With our staff now in place, we are recruiting 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Wales said. “Our job is to make sure that we produce the talent that we already have in the program and that we never stop looking for the best student-athletes available for the University of Hawai‘i.”

Last season Wales had another successful year. The men’s team began the season 10-0 in dual meets and finished Conference USA in second place. The women’s team began 7-2 and finished in third place in the WAC Championships.

This season Wales once again has brought in a ton of talent, as recognized by his highest rated recruiting class. The men’s team is full of dominant freshmen and strong returners to lead the team. The women’s team returns a lot of key young swimmers from a year ago, and are ready to break out and reach their potential.

In 2006-07, the women had another strong season posting an 8-3 dual meet record and went on to a second-place showing at the WAC Championship. UH produced 12 conference champions in 2007 and placed 27th at the NCAA Championship. On the way, three new school records were set and nine new UH Top 10 marks established. However, depth hurt the Rainbow Wahine at the conference championship.

In the 2005-06 campaign, Wales came aboard just as the season got underway and made an immediate impact directing the Rainbow Wahine squad to its first-ever Western Athletic Conference title, edging Nevada by 48.5 points.

Wales’ accomplishments that first season did not go unnoticed as he was named the WAC Swimming Coach of the Year.

On the men’s side, the Rainbow Warriors went 8-2 in dual meets last year and placed second at the Conference-USA Championship, up one spot from the previous season. UH boasted six CUSA champions and broke one conference record. The men went on to take 20th place at the NCAA Championship while establishing 13 new school Top 10 marks.

In Wales first season at UH, the men and women fared well at the 2006 NCAA Championships, sending seven (five female, two male) athletes.

The Rainbow Wahine scored its highest total in the history of the program at the 2006 NCAAs amassing 90 points and finishing in 15th place. The Rainbow Warriors tied for 30th with 16 points.

Before UH, Wales spent four years at the helm of the San Jose State women’s swimming program. Wales was named the women’s swimming head coach on April 24, 2002, after serving as interim head coach in 2001-02. While with the Spartans, his athletes broke 17 school records and produced 15 all-WAC academic selections.

“I am very fortunate to have worked with some high-quality athletes in the past, and now I can pass my knowledge on to the student-athletes at UH,” Wales, the 14th head coach of the program since 1931, said.

Wales came to San Jose State from Arizona State, where he was the head assistant men and women’s swimming coach from 1998-2001. During his tenure in Tempe, Ariz., he coached five school record holders, four All-Americans, five Olympic Trials qualifiers, and three Olympians.

Before ASU, Wales was the associate head men and women’s swimming coach at his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara, over two different periods - 1992-96 and again from 1997-98. In his final season, he tutored two school record holders, two All-Americans, four Olympic Trials qualifiers, and a future 2000 Olympian. In between the two stints at UCSB, he spent the 1996-97 season at the University of Illinois as the head assistant women’s swimming coach.

Wales earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara in 1992. As a swimmer for the Gauchos, he was a four-year member and two-time captain of the swim team from 1988-92. A 10-time Big West Conference champion and 1990 NCAA Division I All-American. Wales qualified for the Olympic Trials in both 1988 and 1992.

Wales and his wife, Miniver, have a son, Ethan, and two daughters, Chloe and Lily.

Jennifer Jackson enters her third season as an assistant coach for the men and women’s teams. She is the primary recruiter on the women’s side while also attending to travel, fund-raising and student affairs.

In the water, Jackson is working with the mid-distance freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststrokers. She is also repsonsible for creating and implementing daily practices, including dryland workouts.

Working with both teams last year, Jackson played an instrumental role in the third place finish during the WAC Championships for the women’s team and a second place finish at the Conference USA Championships for the men’s team.

Jackson comes to the program after spending time in the prep ranks as an assistant coach at Loretto High School in Sacramento. Before that stint, she was the varsity coach at Arden Hills Swim Club in Sacramento, Calif.

Jackson spent three seasons as an assistant coach at San Jose State under then head coach Victor Wales.

“It is great reuniting with Jennifer, who was my assistant at San Jose State for two years,” Wales said. “She has an intimate knowledge of the way I work, and I know she is going to put her heart and soul into the program.”

Jackson completed her undergraduate studies in 2002 from San Jose State where she earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a minor in biology

Todd Foley enters his third year on the UH swimming and diving staff. Foley played an instrumental part in recruiting the No. 14 ranked class on the men’s side this past year.

In Coach Foley’s first year, he guided his swimmers to three new school records and numerous all-time top 10 performances. Todd will again lead the recruiting efforts and coach the middle distance swimmers.

Last season, Foley helped guide the men’s swimming team to a 10-0 start and a second place finish at the Conference USA Championships. He also assisted in the develop of the women’s team, which finished third at the WAC Championships.

“He has a very good mix of coaching experience,” UH head coach Victor Wales said. “Todd brings a lot of intangibles to the table and will be very beneficial to our swimmers.”

He comes to UH via Miami (Ohio), where he spent five seasons as assistant coach of the RedHawks men’s swimming team. Foley became the first full-time assistant coach hired by Pete Lindsay during his tenure and completed a staff which all three coaches were Miami graduates.

Foley received his bachelor’s degree in business in 1997 with a minor in Spanish from Miami (Ohio). He completed his master’s degree in 2004 at his alma mater. As a collegiate, he was a four-year letterman in swimming for the Red Hawks. He swam both freestyle and butterfly as a member of the 1996-97 team that won the Mid-American Conference title and was part of the school’s recording-breaking 200 Medley Relay.