On Tuesday, University of Hawai’i head swimming and diving coach Steve Alnutt announced the hiring of Riley Hilbrandt as assistant men’s and women’s swim coach. Hilbrandt arrives in Honolulu with over nine years of collegiate coaching experience.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Program Depth: Hilbrandt’s arrival stabilizes training regimens across sprint, middle distance, and distance disciplines following her extensive oversight experience at the NCAA Division I level.
- Recruiting Pipeline: Her proven track record in coordinating domestic and international recruiting provides an immediate tactical boost to UH’s talent acquisition strategy.
- Conference Positioning: Bringing deep Mountain West familiarity, Hilbrandt’s expertise directly supports Hawai’i’s strategic push to climb the standings in their new conference home.
Building a Resume Across the NCAA Landscape
Hilbrandt steps onto the Honolulu pool deck carrying a comprehensive tactical background built across nearly a decade of collegiate coaching. Most recently, she served as the head swim and dive coach at Illinois State University from April 2024 to April 2026. During her tenure directing the Redbirds program, she oversaw comprehensive training cycles, managed program budgets, directed recruiting operations on both domestic and international fronts, and closely monitored academic progress.
Prior to leading the program in Normal, Illinois, Hilbrandt spent nearly three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at East Carolina University from July 2021 to April 2024. In Greenville, she specialized in the technical development of breaststroke and individual medley (IM) competitors. Her resume also features assistant coaching stints at Clarion University from 2019 to 2021 and The College of Wooster during the 2018–19 season, alongside a volunteer assistant role at her alma mater, the University of Nevada, Reno, during the 2017–18 campaign. In addition to her full-time campus roles, she has contributed to high-profile summer circuit development as an assistant coach for swim camps hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of Utah.
| Coaching Position | Institution | Years Active |
|---|---|---|
| Head Swim and Dive Coach | Illinois State University | 2024–2026 |
| Assistant Swim Coach / Recruiting Coordinator | East Carolina University | 2021–2024 |
| Assistant Swim Coach | Clarion University | 2019–2021 |
| Assistant Swim Coach | The College of Wooster | 2018–2019 |
| Volunteer Swim Coach | University of Nevada, Reno | 2017–2018 |
Championship Pedigree and Technical Expertise
Beyond her administrative and recruiting credentials, Hilbrandt brings elite competitive experience to the UH staff. As a student-athlete at Nevada from 2013 to 2017, she earned All-Mountain West First Team honors in both 2016 and 2017. She was a key contributor to the Wolf Pack squad that captured the 2016 Mountain West Championship title and received the Dr. Exline Academic Effort Award in 2015.
Academically, she earned a Bachelor of Science in public health from Nevada in May 2017 and later secured a Master of Science in kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching from Georgia Southern University in June 2023. In her new role with the Rainbow Warriors, Hilbrandt will assist in day-to-day training, athlete development, stroke mechanics, and recruiting operations.
“It’s a great privilege to announce Coach Riley Hilbrandt as our newest member of the UH Swim & Dive ‘Ohana!” said Alnutt regarding the appointment. “Coach Riley brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to the pool deck. Her background leading a program at Illinois State and her extensive resume will bolster our program immediately. Riley brings Mountain West experience from her time at Nevada, and she’s an excellent recruiter in the American and international scenes. Our student-athletes will greatly benefit from her presence as we strive to rise to the top of our new conference this year!”
Immediate Outlook for the Rainbow Warriors
With her official appointment, Hilbrandt expressed immediate enthusiasm for joining the program’s daily operations. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join such a respected program and work alongside an incredible coaching staff,” stated Hilbrandt. “I look forward to learning from the staff, contributing my experience and passion for the sport, and helping our student-athletes grow both in and out of the pool. I am truly excited for what the future holds and feel very fortunate to be a part of the Hawai’i program!”
As Hawai’i navigates its competitive schedule and builds toward conference contention, the addition of a coach with direct head-coaching experience and specialized stroke acumen provides the program with vital structural depth. The technical oversight she brings to daily workouts and recruiting corridors will be central to the team’s trajectory moving forward.
