Cameron Kainer Named Head Swimming Coach for Alaska Fairbanks

Photo Courtesy: Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Cameron Kainer has been named the head swimming coach for Alaska Fairbainks.

University of Alaska Fairbanks vice chancellor for student affairs and athletics Keith Champagne made the announcement.

Kainer becomes the third head coach in Alaska women’s swimming history since the program’s resurrection in the fall of 2005, replacing 2019-20 head coach Becca Weiland. Assistant coach Kelsey Leeson will resume her position for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

“I want to thank Chancellor White, Dr. Champagne and search committee chair Kayne Guitierrez for all their help during this process and giving me a great idea of what UAF is all about,” Kainer said. “It has been a different process with the world’s current situation, and they made it feel like everything was right. I look forward to getting the student-athletes back on campus and working on this upcoming season. We know it will be a challenge, but we are up to the task to come back stronger than ever.”

Prior to joining the Nanooks, Kainer served as the head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at the University of Texas Permian Basin, a fellow NCAA Division II institution, since 2013. Throughout his time with the Falcons, Kainer registered a 52-20 overall dual meet record, going 27-11 in the men’s dual meet record and 25-9 for the women.

Under Kainer’s leadership, the Falcons broke all men’s and women’s swimming program records, while most impressively qualifying 24 NCAA national “B-Cut” times. Before joining the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference, Kainer had 38 Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference championship “A-Cut” finalists and one conference championships in 2013. Since the inception of the NSISC, Kainer tallied 70 “A-Cut” finalists and over 120 recorded All-UTPB Top-Ten times.

Kainer specialized with the middle distance and distance groups with the Falcons, while overseeing one full-time assistant coach and one part-time assistant. Kainer also oversaw all aspects of the Falcons’ swimming and diving programs, such as strength and conditioning workouts, budget and scholarship allocations, travel, equipment and recruiting.

“What was appealing to me about UAF was the strong history of the women’s swimming program and the leadership within the athletic department,” Cameron Kainer said. “There has been a lot of success throughout the history of the team and I am excited to build upon that. I think that UAF has a lot to offer the student-athletes academically, athletically and culturally, so it checked a lot off of what I was looking to have in an institution and program.”

An experienced coach, Kainer has also served on the swimming staff at the Florida Institute of Technology, the Nitro Swimming Group, St. Lawrence University, the Longhorn Swim Camp at the University of Texas and the Aggie Swim Camp at Texas A&M University.

“I’m most looking forward to building upon the culture and success that has been laid out here, as well as helping anywhere I can in the department and within the community,” Kainer said. “I also want to bring in student-athletes who share the university’s mission of caring, respect, inclusiveness and diversity, as well as being ambassadors in the university and the Fairbanks community.”

Kainer is also certified as a USA Swimming Coach and also through the American Red Cross in CPR for the Professional Rescuer, lifeguard training and first aid.

Kainer is a graduate of UTPB in Odessa, Texas, where he earned a bachelor of arts in communication. As a Falcon, Kainer was the team captain and ranks in the school’s all-time top-ten lists for the 1,000 free, the 1,650 free, the 200 breast, the 400 individual medley and was also a two-time member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Conference Team in 2009 and 2010.

Cameron Kainer also graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York with a master’s degree in educational leadership.

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Thomas A. Small

3 years ago

Congratulations