UC-San Diego has added Matt Martinez and Molly Spano to its staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. Martinez joins the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator while Spano joins as an assistant coach.
Martinez joins the program after most recently spending the 2025-2026 season at Kentucky as the team’s recruiting coordinator. Prior to his time at Kentucky, Martinez was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Wisconsin for three seasons. Martinez primarily worked with the breaststroke group while at Wisconsin.
“It is with great pleasure to announce Matt Martinez as the newest member of the UC San Diego Tritons Swimming family, joining our staff as top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator,” UCSD head coach Marko Djordjevic said. “Matt brings outstanding experience from Power Four programs and a proven track record in athlete development, recruiting, and building championship-caliber teams. His knowledge and energy will be tremendous assets as we continue to elevate our program. I am excited to welcome Matt to the Triton family and look forward to the impact he will have on our student-athletes and our continued rise to the next level.”
Prior to arriving at Wisconsin, Martinez spent the 2021-2022 season at Cal Berkeley as a volunteer assistant coach. Martinez graduated from Arizona State in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Student Personnel Administration from Saint Louis University in 2017.
Spano joins the staff after spending the last two seasons at Division III Swarthmore College. The program sent 20 swimmers to the Division III NCAA Championships over the last two seasons, and the women’s team won back-to-back Centennial Conference Championships.
Spano spent her undergraduate career at Southwestern University where she became the first swimmer in Southwestern history to earn First Team All-SCAC honors in the 400 IM. She graduated from Southwestern in 2023 and went on to swim her graduate season with the University of Lynchburg.
“I am very excited to introduce Molly Spano as the newest assistant coach of UC San Diego Swimming program!,” Djordjevic said. “Molly is a passionate coach who brings outstanding energy, a commitment to student-athlete development, and valuable experience in coaching, recruiting, and program operations. Her enthusiasm, work ethic, and dedication to building meaningful relationships will make her an exceptional addition to our staff. I am excited for everything she will do to help our program continue its upward trajectory.”
The UCSD women were 4th out of seven teams at the 2026 Big West Championships while the men’s team finished 3rd out of six teams. The women sent three swimmers to the 2026 NCAA Championships including Chloe Braun who finished 16th in the 100 breast. UCSD just finished its sixth season as a Division I school.
Congratulations Matt & Molly! UCSD is lucky to have you both to work with the Tritons!