LOS ANGELES – James Robinson-O’Brien has been named the fifth head coach of UCLA women’s water polo, returning to his alma mater after a successful coaching stint at Hawai’i and previous service on the Bruins’ coaching staff.

A three-time NCAA champion as a member of the UCLA men’s water polo team, Robinson-O’Brien spent the past four seasons coaching at the University of Hawai’i, including the last two as head coach. He posted a 38-11 record at the helm, going 13-0 in Big West Conference play and earning the league’s Coach of the Year award in each season. Robinson-O’Brien led Hawai’i to the national semifinals in 2025, and his teams recorded back-to-back top-five finishes in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 25 poll.

“James embodies True Bruin values,” said Martin Jarmond, UCLA’s Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. “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.”

Robinson-O’Brien was voted Women’s Assistant/Associate Coach of the Year by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches in 2024, shortly after being chosen as successor to longtime Hawai’i head coach Maureen Cole. The Rainbow Wahine went 22-5 in his first season, giving Robinson-O’Brien the highest winning percentage (.815) for a first-year head coach in program history.

"I am extremely excited and honored to lead the UCLA women's water polo program into its next chapter,” said Robinson-O’Brien. “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."

The 2026 team finished 16-6, capturing its third consecutive Big West title and sweeping the conference’s major year-end awards for the second straight season. Out of the pool, a Hawai’i student-athlete earned the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for women’s water polo during three of Robinson-O’Brien’s four seasons with the program.

Robinson-O’Brien began his collegiate coaching career under UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Adam Wright, serving on the Bruins’ women’s water polo staff from 2020-22. During that span, which included two shortened seasons, UCLA went 58-13 and finished as the national runner-up in 2021. Robinson-O’Brien also served as an academic mentor for UCLA Athletics’ Academic and Student Services office before returning to coaching full time.

“James has proven that he has a bright future in the world of water polo, not only as a coach but as a leader of young people,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director, Academic & Championship Excellence Dr. Kenny Donaldson. “James has emphasized how big of an impact this program and university have had, not only on him, but also on his family, and we could not be more thrilled in having him return to lead this storied program.”

Signed by Wright out of Palos Verdes High School in Palos Verdes, Calif., Robinson-O’Brien helped the Bruins to one of their finest stretches in program history. After redshirting in 2013, Robinson-O’Brien totaled 44 goals, 48 assists and 35 steals in 55 career games while helping UCLA capture NCAA championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Following his collegiate career, Robinson-O’Brien played professionally in Australia for the National Water Polo League’s Hunter Hurricanes before coaching at the club and high school levels in New Zealand.

Robinson-O’Brien is a lifelong Bruin. He graduated from UCLA in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and married former UCLA women’s water polo standout Kelsey O’Brien-Robinson (2014-17) in June 2024. His parents and three siblings all attended UCLA. His father, Ed (1977-1980), and brother, Brian (2012), also competed for the Bruins’ water polo team.