University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- maiyaotsuka@umass.edu
Maiya Otsuka has been named the acting head coach of the University of Massachusetts women's swimming and diving program after serving as an assistant coach for the men's and women's swimming and diving teams for nine seasons. She will enter her 11th season at UMass and spent three years as an assistant coach for the men's team after joining the UMass women’s swimming and diving staff in August 2015 following three seasons at Texas A&M and Connecticut.
In Otsuka's first year as acting head coach, the Minutewomen finished seventh in the Atlantic 10 Championships with 284 points. Otsuka saw two swimmers in Karinne Everly and Kendall Gilbert break three freshman records. Everly broke the record in the 200 butterfly (2:01.07), while Gilbert broke the record in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.97) and the 200 breaststroke (2:11.59). The women's team tallied 16 top-10 times, including a new program record set by Gilbert in the 200 breaststroke. The Minutewomen also collected two medals at the A-10 Championships as Khrystyna Yaremyn secured the bronze in the three-meter dive and Gilbert took the silver in the 200 breaststroke.
Four divers competed at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships for the women's team, as well.
Lindsay Burbage, Anna Kwon and Shreeya Sinha earned a spot on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, while the women's program was honored with CSCAA Scholar All-American status in the fall. Yaremyn also tabbed A-10 Rookie of the Week in the year.
Otsuka first came to UMass in August of 2015 as the assistant women's coach and recruiting coordinator and served in that role for five years, before becoming the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for both the men's and women's programs at the start of the 2020-21 season. She worked with the development and implementation of season plans for the individual medley, middle distance and stroke groups.
During her time as an assistant, Otsuka helped coach her swimmers to a combined 20 school records, three pool records and 24 top-three finishes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. She also aided student-athletes to three NCAA standard achievements. She saw both the men's and women's teams recognized as Scholar All-America Teams for seven straight semesters, including the 2023-24 season.
Otsuka also coached Ansley Baker to a pair of gold medals in the 50 and 100 Free at the 2019 A-10 Championships and to a gold in the 100 Breaststroke at the league meet in 2018. She also assisted in coaching Meriza Werenski to back-to-back gold medals in the 400 IM at the conference championship in 2016 and 2017.
Otsuka served as an intern assistant coach with the Huskies in the fall of 2014 after a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant coach with Texas A&M from 2012-14. She also served as a fifth-year assistant coach for her alma mater, Utah, after finishing her competitive career with the Utes.
In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Otsuka also has worked at the club and high school levels with youth ranging from four years to 18 years of age.
The native of Littleton, Colo., was a two-time team captain at Utah where she holds school records in the 200 Breaststroke, the 400 Individual Medley and the 400 Medley Relay. She was an All-Mountain West performer in each season with the Utes and was a MWC Scholar-Athlete during the 2008-09 season.
Otsuka earned her master’s degree in sports pedagogy from Texas A&M following her undergraduate career at Utah.
