By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam
The University of Hawaii has announced the hiring of Steve Allnutt as their new head coach of swimming and diving. Allnutt is a Hawaii swim and dive alum, who has spent the last 10 seasons coaching in the Mountain West Conference.
The head coach position at Hawaii opened up in July, when former head coach Mike Stephens accepted a job as Stanford’s new associate head coach for their swimming and diving program. After about 6 weeks of searching, Hawaii has found their replacement in Allnutt.
Speaking on the hire, Hawaii Athletic Director Craig Angelos said in part, “We are thrilled to welcome Steve back to the UH swimming and diving family,” adding “We had a great pool of candidates to choose from and he really distinguished himself during the process.” Angelos also called Allnutt’s history swimming for the Hawaii swim and dive program as an “extra bonus”.
Allnutt swam for the Hawaii men’s team from 2007-2011, helping Hawaii win the Conference USA men’s title in 2011. He primarily competed in distance events, such as the 500 free, 1650 free, and 400 IM, and competed at USA Swimming Open Water Nationals as well.
The past 2 seasons, Allnutt served as assistant coach for San Jose State. Prior to his stint at SJSU, Allnutt coached for 8 seasons at San Diego State, where he served as associate head coach for the last 4 of those years. During his time at San Diego State, he helped the women’s team to 4 Mountain West titles. While Allnutt was coaching the Aztecs, they had a dual meet record of 85-2, and a total of 30 athletes qualified for NCAAs.
“It is with gratefulness and excitement that I begin this journey leading the UH Swimming & Diving program,” Allnutt said about accepting the position. “This program has a special place in the diving and swimming world, and with the great support of the Hawai’i Athletics Department, we will continue an exemplary well rounded student-athlete experience for our divers and swimmers.”
Hawaii is coming off an exceptional 2023-2024 season, in which the men’s team was historically great for the program, winning the MPSF title. They qualified for NCAAs in the men’s 200 free relay, where they finished 17th, an impressive accomplishment for a mid major program. They also had a diver qualify for NCAAs, showing they aren’t just getting it done in the pool, but on the boards as well.
As of now, the rest of the Hawaii staff from last seasons appears to have remained mostly intact. Former associate head coach Kevin Blum has accepted a job as the head coach of Upper Valley Aquatic Center, a club swim team in Vermont. Assistant coach Maria Abrams and diving coach Brandon Blaisdell appear to be remaining on the Hawaii staff.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hawaii Announces Alum Steve Allnutt as New Swimming and Diving Head Coach