Wright comes to UC Santa Barbara from the North Carolina Aquatic Club in Chapel Hill, N.C. While at the Aquatic Club Wright was the lead coach for over 50 athletes across Senior 2 and Senior 3 groups. He played a pivotal role in creating and progressing the Senior 3 group and has grown the group by over 100 percent since its inception in 2022. Wright also led the 13-14 age groups and substituted on occasions for the 8 and under group.
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Prior to his time in Chapel Hill, Wright spent time at A3 Performance in Tucson, Ariz. as a Professional Athlete. He worked with the A3 Management to operate swim clinics in various locations across the United States, aided in testing and developing new tech suits and swim equipment. He also acted as a Marketing and Sales Rep on the pool deck and through social media.
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As an athlete, Wright swam at the University of Arizona from 2014-2018 and was the team captain his senior season. Additionally, he was a United States National Team member from 2017 to 2021. He earned an end-of-season world ranking of sixth in the 200-butterfly long course and was the 2018 United States National Champion in the same event. Before that, he was selected to compete for the U.S. at the 2012 Junior Pan Pacs, 2014 Youth Olympics, 2017 World University Games, 2018 Pan Pacs, 2018 Short Course Worlds and most recently 2019 Worlds.
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"I am thrilled to be returning home to the West Coast to work at UC Santa Barbara," said Wright. "As a California swimmer, I have always dreamed of competing for the Gauchos, and now I have the incredible opportunity to be a coach. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me on this journey. I can't wait to dive into this new chapter!"
