Chad Castillo

Biography

In his first year at UNC, Chad played a pivotal role in helping the team break the 800 Freestyle Relay record, achieve 20 top-10 performances in program history, record 100 lifetime-best times, and crown four WAC champions. He also coached Kyra Rabess to new Cayman Islands national records in the 800 and 400 freestyle, and guided Maria Erokhina to break the Cyprus national records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Prior to joining UNC, Chad worked with the sprint group at the University of Arizona, where he helped the men’s team break school records in both the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle relays, qualifying them for the NCAA Championships. Notably, Tommy Palmer posted the fastest relay split in school history (18.3) and individually qualified for the NCAA Championships in three events. Chad also helped nine athletes qualify for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Before being hired full-time at Arizona, Chad served as a volunteer assistant coach and was head coach of the La Paloma USA Club Team in Tucson, Arizona. Under his leadership, the club grew from 20 swimmers in 2019 to over 120 by 2023. The team went from having no time standard qualifiers to over half of its athletes achieving B, A, and AA standards, leading to a top-eight finish among Arizona age group programs. As head women’s coach at Salpointe Catholic High School, Chad led the team to consistent top-five finishes in the state. The program claimed its first and only state championship in 2013, with runn