Ray Looze, Arthur Albiero Named USA Coaches for Pan Pacific Championships

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Arthur Albiero. Photo Courtesy: Sarah D. Davis/theACC.com

USA Swimming today announced that Indiana University head coach Ray Looze and University of Louisville head coach Arthur Albiero have been selected to lead the United States’ team as men’s and women’s head coach, respectively, at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, Aug. 9-13 in Tokyo.

“Arthur Albiero and Ray Looze represent two of the top coaches in our country, and we are proud to announce them as Team USA’s head coaches at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships,” USA Swimming National Team Managing Director Lindsay Mintenko said. “They are leading a new generation of coaches, having proven themselves on numerous occasions with athletes swimming at the highest levels. We feel confident both coaches will continue to build and foster the strong culture of the U.S. National Team.”

Selected as the men’s head coach for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, Looze is coming off his 13^th year as coach of both the Indiana Hoosiers men’s and women’s swimming programs. There, he currently oversees Olympic gold medalists Lilly King, Cody Miller, Blake Pieroni and National Team members Ian Finnerty and Zane Grothe.

Most recently in March, Looze was named the men’s College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Coach of the Year following a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships for the Hoosiers. In 2017, he became the first swimming coach in history to repeat as both men’s and women’s Big Ten Swimming Coach of the Year. Also, that same name, Looze was named American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Coach of the Year.

This event will mark Looze’s sixth appearance as a National Team coach. He most recently served as an Assistant Women’s Coach for the U.S. at the 2017 FINA World Championships and previous roles included Assistant Women’s Coach at the 2016 Olympic Games, 2015 World University Games Head Women’s Coach, 2014 Short Course World Championships Head Women’s Coach, 2011 Duel in the Pool Assistant Men’s Coach and 2009 World University Games Assistant Men’s Coach.

Albiero, selected as the women’s head coach for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championship, is coming off his 15^th year, and best NCAA finish in school history, as the Louisville Cardinals’ head swimming coach. He currently works with Olympic medalist Kelsi (Worrell) Dahlia, five-time world champion Mallory Comerford and National Team members Andrea Cottrell and Zach Harting.

Albiero has previously made four international appearances as a coach for the U.S. swim team. In 2017 he was named a FINA World Championships Assistant Women’s Coach, in 2016 he was the Short Course World Championships Head Women’s Coach, in 2016 he was the USA College Challenge Head Coach and in 2015 he was a Pan American Games Assistant Women’s Coach. Earlier in 2012, he made an appearance at the London Games as a coach for the Portuguese swim team.

Only two years before the 2020 Olympic Games, the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships present a unique opportunity for National Team athletes to compete and experience the Olympic city prior to the Games.

Established in the mid-1980’s, the Pan Pacific Championships are held under the oversight of the Pan Pacific Swimming Association. The Association is made up of the four founding swimming federations – Swimming Australia, Swimming Canada, the Japan Amateur Swimming Federations and USA Swimming. These charter nations developed the concept of the swimming competition to provide their national teams with first-class international competition between the two major international swimming competitions – the Olympic Games and the FINA World Championships.

Swimmers will qualify for the U.S. roster at the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, slated for July 25-29 in Irvine, Calif. The team’s assistant coaches will be named following Nationals.

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