Former ASU Assistant Austin Pillado Joining Washington State Coaching Staff As Assistant

Former Arizona State assistant coach Austin Pillado will move north to Washington State this fall, joining the staff as an assistant coach.

“I am very excited to join the Cougar family & program at Washington State University,” Pillado said. “I would like to thank Russ Whitaker, Anne McCoy, and Brad Corbin for this amazing opportunity. I am looking forward to developing this team to achieve success at the highest level possible, both in and out of the pool. The vision that Russ and the entire athletic department have for this program is amazing, and I cannot wait to help this dream become a reality! Go Cougs!”

Pillado arrives at Washington State after spending the 2023-2024 season with Arizona State, helping coach the men’s team to its first NCAA title in program history. He primarily coached the breaststroke group while also spending time with the sprint group.

Prior to Arizona State, Pillado spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Penn State, once again working primarily with the breaststroke and sprint free groups. While serving at Penn State, he also was an assistant coach for the Swedish National team at the European Championships in Rome in 2022.

Pillado has also spent time at the Division II level as he was the assistant coach for Saginaw Valley State in Michigan in 2020-2021. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Texas A&M, coaching there from 2017-2020.

Pillado swam at Davis and Elkins College during his collegiate career. He swam there from 2013-2017 and also joined the track and field team for his senior season in 2017. He graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management/Athletic Training before going on to team a master’s degree in Sports Management from Texas A&M in 2020.

The addition of Pillado helps round out the Washington State staff that will have a completely new look this upcoming season. Head Coach Matt Leach left to become the next head coach at Iowa State and Russell Whitaker was hired as the next head coach. The program also welcomed Tylor Mathieu to its staff as an assistant coach.

The Washington State women will join the Mountain West Conference for the next two seasons. The school is only home to a women’s program. The team sent one swimmer to NCAAs as Emily Lundgren finaled in the women’s 200 breaststroke.