Courtesy: Nevada Athletics
RENO, Nev. – Nevada Athletics Director Stephanie Rempe officially announced Tuesday a three-year contract extension for Wolf Pack Women’s Swimming & Diving head coach Brendon Bray.
“Brendon has been instrumental in maintaining Nevada’s place as one of the Mountain West’s top programs, and keeping the Wolf Pack represented at the NCAA Championships,” said Rempe. “Since his first season here in 2016-17, Nevada is one of just two Mountain West programs to record a national finish three times. Under Brendon’s leadership, our swimming and diving program has consistently performed at a championship level in the athletic and academic realms, and we are looking forward to the Wolf Pack’s continued success.”
Bray, currently in his 20th season overall as an NCAA swimming coach and ninth at the Wolf Pack helm, has overseen the Wolf Pack’s 5-0 performance in dual meets in 2024-25 and its performances at the 2025 Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships in which Nevada competitors captured 16 medals, including three gold, and claimed 23 All-Mountain West honors.
“I’m honored to work at the University of Nevada and appreciate the direction of our department with the hard work of Stephanie Rempe. It is special to me to work in the community that I grew up in and I have big goals for our team that I am still working hard to achieve. I’m excited for the future. Go pack!
Bray has brought much success to Nevada since taking the helm in July 2016. Over his prior eight full seasons at Nevada, the Wolf Pack has finished no lower than third place at the Mountain West Championships six times, including a four-year run of runner-up finishes from 2019-22. Bray’s squads have thrice scored at the NCAA championships, finishing 24th in 2017, 29th in 2018, and 36th in 2023. Each of those years Nevada was the highest-placing team from the Mountain West at the NCAA Championships.
Nevada has been represented at the NCAA Championships with individual qualifiers in each of Bray’s full seasons at the helm, with the exception of 2020 when the national meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, Nevada shares the conference lead with seven qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, with a Mountain West-best three individual qualifiers in 2024.
After the 2025 conference meet, Bray’s swimmers have won a total of 22 Mountain West event titles over both individual and relay events, and the Wolf Pack’s total (including diving) sits at 36. Bray’s teams have also set school records in the 100 Free, 100 and 200 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, one meter and three-meter platform, 200 Free relay, 200 Medley Relay and 400 Medley Relay, 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle. At the 2024 Mountain West Championships, Scarlett Ferris set the conference record in the 100 back (51.49), then successfully defended that title at the 2025 meet.
Swimmers that Bray has coached have represented countries from all over the world. He has coached two recent national champions, Josien Wijkhuijs, who was the Netherlands’ champion in the 50 and 100 backstroke as well as the 100 IM, and Andressa Cholodovskis, Brazil’s national champion in the 100 IM, showing his support and encouragement for international athletes to compete in their home country qualifying events. Enkhkhuslen Batbayar, who competed in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics for Mongolia, is currently on the 2025 team, while Ferris, along with fellow 2025 team members Yasmin Perry and Evie Floate, competed at the 2024 Great Britain Olympic trials.
Bray has also been very proud of local swimmers who have represented the team. Bishop Manogue graduate Donna dePolo qualified for the NCAA championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke in 2021 and 2022 along with the 2021 Wave Two Olympic trials, and McQueen graduate Benedict Nagy, a three-time Mountain West 400 IM champion (2021-23), qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships in that event.
Bray has also cultivated a strong academic culture within the program, as Nevada has achieved College Swim Coach Association (CSCA) team scholar All-American status every semester since his hire. His teams have never achieved below a 3.4 GPA and has earned as high as a 3.68 in Fall 2022, and two swimmers, dePolo (2022) and Frederica Kizek (2024), were named CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-Americans.
