Concordia University Irvine has named alumnus Ryan Martines as head coach of its recently reinstated women’s swimming and diving program, the school announced Tuesday.
“We are excited to welcome Ryan back as both an alum and coach, and I have the utmost confidence that he will be a great addition to our department,” said CUI Vice President of Athletics Crystal Rosenthal in the university’s press release.
Martines graduated from CUI in the fall of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
His coaching career began five years earlier at Madera High School in August 2017, where he served as head aquatics coach through December 2020. From January 2021 through November 2022, he was an assistant coach at University High School.
Since November 2022, Martines has served as an assistant coach at Northwood High School, which won the CIF State Championship this past season. During that time, he also worked with Concordia’s men’s team from August 2023 to May 2025 while pursuing his Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration. Additionally, he has been an assistant coach at Irvine Novaquatics since January 2024.
“I’m incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead this program,” Martines said of his appointment. “Concordia has been such an important part of my journey as both an athlete and a coach, and to now serve as head coach feels like a full-circle moment.”
“It means a great deal to have the opportunity to lead a program that has been such a big part of my life,” Martines added. “Having grown with this team as a student-athlete, graduate assistant, and assistant coach, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the athletes and staff who have made it special. I’m proud to help guide this next chapter and continue building something the team can take pride in.”
Martines replaces Bert Bergen, who served as head coach for six seasons through 2024–25 and has since accepted a position with an aquatics management company.
Last season, the women’s swim and dive team placed sixth at the 2025 Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships.
A Tumultuous Last Six Months For CUI’s Swim & Dive Programs
In May, CUI, an NCAA Division II school in Irvine, Calif., announced the elimination of four athletic programs, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s tennis, citing “increasing operational costs, facility limitations, and significant changes in the collegiate athletics landscape.”
Rosenthal said the school calculated that the cuts would save $550,000 in annual costs, though a week after the programs were eliminated, she sent an email to unaffected athletes detailing a $25.5 million investment into CUI’s athletic infrastructure.
In mid-August, nine female student-athletes filed a sex discrimination class action lawsuit against the school in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accusing CUI of violating Title IX by depriving women of equal opportunities to participate in intercollegiate athletics.
On October 24, Judge Fred W. Slaughter issued a 29-page order granting the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction, barring CUI from “eliminating its women’s swimming & diving team, its women’s tennis team, and all other women’s varsity teams at CUI for the 2025-26 academic year, and for the duration of this case or until further order of this court.”
“To the extent that those teams have already been eliminated, CUI shall immediately reinstate them, and provide the teams with funding, staffing, and all other benefits commensurate with their status as varsity intercollegiate teams,” the order said.
The female student-athletes are currently working with Arthur Bryant Law, P.C., with Arthur Bryant serving as lead counsel. Bryant also helped William & Mary, East Carolina and Dartmouth revive their women’s swim & dive programs.
Another dude in charge of a women’s program, classic.
and not much older than the swimmers…
Probably hard to find anyone to take an HC job mid season with a tiny roster for a program that just got reinstated by a court order. Good luck to him
Definitely best of luck to him and happy to give the university the benefit of the doubt! However, the gender disparity is too large to ignore and is well documented within the sport. Braden has previously written an article on the topic but it has been a while…
Good reminder – the Tucker Center released an updated report this summer and I missed it. Will add it to the to do list.
As the person who recruited Ryan to CUI as a swimmer, then welcomed him and coached alongside as a member of my staff, I can tell you that he has impeachable character, is a mature and responsible individual and most importantly, has the respect and trust of the women in the program. You don’t know him and the program we developed, so keep your crappy innuendo to yourself. He is EXACTLY what this program and team members need right now. I am ecstatic for him. He has worked very hard for this opportunity and will be amazing in the role.
COACH RYAN MY GOAT ❤️
As the person who recruited Ryan to CUI as a swimmer, then welcomed him and coached alongside as a member of my staff, I can tell you that he has impeachable character, is a mature and responsible individual and most importantly, has the respect and trust of the women in the program. You don’t know him and the program we developed, so keep your crappy innuendo to yourself. He is EXACTLY what this program and team members need right now. I am ecstatic for him. He has worked very hard for this opportunity and will be amazing in the role.