UC San Diego Hires Matt Martinez, Molly Spano as Assistant Coaches
UC San Diego on Friday announced the hiring of Matt Martinez and Molly Spano as assistant coaches. Martinez will also hold the title of recruiting coordinator on head coach Marko Djordjevic’s staff.
Martinez’s experience has taken him to Kentucky, Wisconsin and the University of California in Berkeley. He spent the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky, where the Wildcats men’s team posted their highest finish at NCAAs in more than 15 years.
Martinez was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2022-25 at the University of Wisconsin. He worked with the breaststroke group of the both the men’s and women’s teams, helped coach NCAA champion and Olympian Phoebe Bacon and led the Badgers’ men’s team to its two best Big Ten Championships finishes in program history.
He was an assistant coach in Berkeley in 2021-22, again working with the breaststroke group. He coached with Warringah Aquatic Swim Club in Sydney, Australia, as its lead coach for age-group swimmers. The native of Walnut Creek, Calif., received his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at Arizona State in 2014 and a master’s in student personnel administration from Saint Louis University in 2017.
“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,” Djordjevic said in a press release. “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.”
Spano spent two seasons at Division III Swarthmore College, leading the women’s team to back-to-back Centennial Conference championships and helping the men’s team win its fourth straight title in 2024-25. The Garnet qualified 20 swimmers to NCAAs in two seasons.
Spano was a four-time All-ODAC honoree at the University of Lynchburg after five All-SCAC honors at Southwestern University. She holds the Southwestern program record in the 400 individual medley and six school marks at Lynchburg. She earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Southwestern in 2023 and a master’s in business administration from Lynchburg in 2025.
“I am grateful for the time I spent at Swarthmore College, the mentors who shaped me, and the relationships I developed with my Swat Swim family. I am excited to join the Triton Swimming Family and translate my passion for high academic and athletic performance to the UC San Diego community,” Spano said. “Thank you, Andy Fee, Danielle Melman, and Marko Djordjevic or this opportunity. I am excited to help continue the tradition of excellence at UC San Diego. Go Tritons!”