Behind the Blocks: Inside UNLV Swimming
During my summer cross-country trip, I made a point to pull into Las Vegas and stop by the pool deck at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Visiting UNLV was a bit nostalgic for me—back in 2012 and 2013, I was actually looking at UNLV during my own college recruiting process, and several of my Brazilian friends ended up swimming for the Rebels.
I reconnected with Head Coach Pat Ota and his staff to watch their summer training group in action, talk shop on the deck, and get a look at how they structure their year-round program.
A Nostalgic Stop in Las Vegas
There’s a unique energy on a college pool deck during the summer. While many college swimmers head home for the off-season, a dedicated group stays on campus to train long course and build momentum for the upcoming NCAA season.
Driving past Vegas, I reached out to the coaching staff, and Coach Pat welcomed me onto the deck to watch their morning routine. Seeing the team locked into long-course training brought back great memories of my own college recruiting days and reconnected me with a program I've followed for years.
3 Key Highlights From My UNLV Visit
1. Training All Three Pool Courses Every Week
One of the most fascinating aspects of Coach Pat’s philosophy is how UNLV structures their pool courses throughout the standard season:
Mondays: Long Course Meters (LCM) for aerobic depth and high-threshold work.
Tuesdays & Wednesdays: Short Course Meters (SCM) to balance wall detail with added distance per lap.
Thursdays through Saturdays: Short Course Yards (SCY) to sharpen race pace and power.
Coach Pat explained that Short Course Meters gives them "the best of both worlds"—it forces athletes to swim an extra 10% distance per lap while keeping wall turns sharp. As championship season approaches in late winter, they shift strictly to short course yards to fine-tune stroke counts and turn entries.
2. The Mon/Tue/Thu Strength Experiment
In the weight room, UNLV takes a calculated approach. While traditional college programs stick to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday lifting schedule, UNLV experimented with shifting their lifts to Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Why? Coach Pat noticed that during peak racing months in January, Friday travel and weekend meets meant athletes were missing their Friday lifts for five consecutive weeks. Moving the third lift to Thursday ensures the team maintains consistent strength development all year, regardless of meet travel.
3. What UNLV Looks For in Recruits
We spent time discussing college recruiting and what separates good athletes from high-impact team members. Coach Pat dropped a nugget that every high school swimmer should hear:
"If I ask a recruit what they're working on and they say 'I'm just training hard to get faster,' that's a red flag. I want to hear about stroke counts, video analysis, or race splitting—any thoughtfulness in their training."
For coaches and athletes preparing for D1 recruiting, this mindset is huge. UNLV values data-driven, self-aware athletes who want to contribute to team growth rather than just individual stats.
Coaching Takeaways
From a coaching standpoint, a few things stood out during this visit:
Simplicity in Summer: Instead of running four distinct training groups (Short Sprint, Mid-Sprint, Long Sprint, Distance), summer training is streamlined into two dynamic groups, making high-level coaching feedback more personalized.
Proactive Transitioning: Coach Pat shared candidly about moving into the Head Coach role, emphasizing how important it is to keep an open-door policy so the head coach's office never feels intimidating to athletes.
Dryland Integration: Before jumping into the pool, UNLV runs a crisp 15-minute dynamic warmup incorporating pull-ups, TRX, and medicine balls to prime explosiveness before swimming.
Ready to See the Action?
Whether you're an athlete aiming for college swimming, a coach looking for new training concepts, or just a fan of the sport, this episode gives you an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at a top Division I mid-major program.
Watch the full vlog on YouTube to see the full practice on deck, watch the power tower work, and hear Coach Pat's full interview!
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