UCLA Hires James Robinson-O’Brien as Women’s Water Polo Head Coach
UCLA on Tuesday announced the hiring of James Robinson-O’Brien as the head coach of its women’s water polo team.
Monday, UCLA had publicized two additions to the men’s water polo coaching staff. That is the staff of head coach Adam Wright, who in July stepped down from the helm of the women’s water polo program. He’ll now have Jack Leichty and Kyle Boal as assistant coaches, with Boal also holding the role of technical coordinator.
Robinson-O’Brien last week stepped down as the head coach of the University of Hawaii. He spent two seasons as the head coach and two as an assistant coach, going 38-11 leading the Rainbow Wahine and 19-0 in Big West matches to lead the ‘Bows to consecutive league titles and National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship berths. He was the Big West Coach of the Year twice.
“I am extremely excited and honored to lead the UCLA women’s water polo program into its next chapter,” Robinson-O’Brien said in a UCLA release. “UCLA and this program mean the world to my family and me, and being able to return to my alma mater to coach is a privilege. I am looking forward to building upon UCLA women’s water polo’s storied history of academic and athletic excellence. Thank you to Martin Jarmond and Kenny Donaldson for trusting me with this incredible opportunity. I cannot wait to get to work preparing for this next season.”
Robinson-O’Brien returns to his alma mater, where he graduated in 2017. He’s married for former Bruins standout Kelsey O’Brien-Robinson. The Palos Verdes High product won three national titles and played professionally in Australia before starting his college coaching career with Wright at UCLA from 2020-22.
“James embodies True Bruin values,” UCLA Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond said. “He is a champion, an outstanding teacher and a lifelong Bruin who understands the expectations and traditions of this program. During his time at Hawai’i, he established himself as one of the brightest young coaches in the country. We are excited to welcome James and his wife Kelsey back to Westwood and look forward to seeing him lead UCLA women’s water polo into its next chapter of excellence.”
“We want to sincerely thank James for his outstanding dedication and leadership over the past four seasons,” UH Athletics Director Matt Elliott said in a release about Robinson-O’Brien stepping down. “He seamlessly transitioned into the head coaching role, maintaining the standard of excellence that defines our women’s water polo program and bringing home back-to-back Big West titles. We wish him the best in his future professional endeavors.”
Hawaii named Candice Vorbeck as its interim coach.
Wright stepped away from the day-to-day women’s role early in 2026 and formally resigned as the women’s head coach in July. He retained the men’s position and added two new staffers this week.
Leichty spent two seasons as an assistant coach at UC Irvine, his alma mater. They were 33-21 in his two seasons on the deck, including 18-9 in 2024 with a Big West Conference title and top-10 finish in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association poll.
Leichty was a standout for the Anteaters, leading them to a Big West title in 2023. He served as an assistant coach for USA Water Polo’s World Aquatics U-18 team in 2026, winning silver.
“Jake has had the unique opportunity to not only play for one of the best high school teams in our country, but also one of the top collegiate programs,” Wright said. “Furthermore, after his playing career ended he began working for Dan Klatt, a former teammate of mine and one of the best coaches in our country. Jake most recently joined the Team USA staff, assisting the U18 team which recently earned the silver medal at the World Championships. These experiences Jake brings with him to our program will help us continue to grow and move the needle forward. Most importantly, the impact he will have on our student-athletes from these experiences will serve our program well.”
Coal was the director of operations for both teams since graduating in 2023. He now takes a technical role on the coaching staff. A former UCLA water polo team manager, he assisted with Team USA trips to the World University Games in 2023 and 2025.
“Kyle has taken a very different path than most to get to this point,” Wright said. “I first met Kyle in 2019 when he was a sportswriter for the Daily Bruin. He reported on our teams for two seasons before becoming a manager. Kyle’s impact on our programs in that role was immense to the point I knew someday we needed him back in our program upon graduation. After graduation, Kyle left UCLA to work at USWP and then in 2024 we were able to bring him back home as our director of operations.”
