HONOLULU — Ikaika Aki has been named the fifth head coach of the University of Hawai'i women's water polo program, UH athletics director Matt Elliott announced on Tuesday.
 
Aki coached at Loyola Marymount for the last four years and earned Golden Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors each of the last two seasons. His selection to lead the Rainbow Wahine will be a homecoming for the Honolulu product and 2006 graduate of Punahou School.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Ikaika back home to Hawai'i," Elliott said. "His proven track record of building a championship-caliber program at LMU, combined with his deep roots in our local community, makes him the perfect leader for the Rainbow Wahine as we look to build upon our legacy of success."
 
Aki led the Lions to back-to-back GCC Championship titles and consecutive appearances in the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship in 2025 and 2026. LMU's NCAA berth in 2025 marked the program's first appearance in the tournament since 2012.
 
Over the last three seasons, Aki led the Lions to a 70-20 record overall, including a 20-0 run in GCC regular-season play. In 2026, Aki led the Lions to a 23-5 record and a third straight undefeated conference campaign. LMU earned the GCC's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament and tied for seventh in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association poll of the season.
 
During his four-year tenure at LMU, 12 LMU players received Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-America recognition.
 
"I am incredibly honored and humbled to return home to lead the University of Hawai'i women's water polo program," Aki said. "I want to thank Matt Elliott and Jim Stein for this tremendous opportunity. As someone who grew up here, I know exactly what it means to represent this state and this community. The Rainbow Wahine have established a remarkable standard of excellence, and I look forward to working with these talented student-athletes to build upon that strong foundation and take this program to even greater heights."
 
Prior to being named LMU's head coach ahead of the 2023 season, Aki served as the head coach for the boys' and girls' water polo teams at San Clemente High School. He originally joined the LMU coaching staff in July 2019, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs.
 
Before embarking on his coaching career, Aki was a highly decorated player for the LMU men's water polo program. A two-time AWPCA Honorable Mention All-American and four-time Western Water Polo Association Championship winner, he was named the WWPA Conference Player of the Year in 2010. He scored 105 career goals and graduated as LMU's all-time record holder in steals (176) and field blocks (119), while ranking second in career assists with 109. He remains the only player in school history to reach the century mark in all major stat categories.
 
Aki was a standout in water polo and swimming during his prep career at Punahou. He was named Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys' water polo Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. He also earned California-Hawaii All-American honors those two seasons, earning fourth-team as a junior and third-team as a senior. He graduated from LMU in 2011 with a degree in Natural Science and later earned a master's in coaching and athletics administration from Concordia University Irvine.
 
Aki will be the fifth head coach to lead the UH water polo program since its debut in 1998, following in the line of Shari Smart (1998-2002), Michel Roy (2003-11), Maureen Cole (2012-24), and James Robinson (2025-26).
 
"I couldn't be more excited about the direction of the program with Ikaika taking over as head coach," Cole said. "He is an exceptionally hard worker, a talented coach, and, most importantly, an exemplary human being who genuinely cares about his players and the people around him. Winning conference championships in each of the past two seasons speaks to his ability to build a successful program and get the very best out of his athletes.
 
"He also understands what makes UH and Hawai'i such a special place. His partner, Chloe Barr, was one of the all-time great players at UH and is every bit as exceptional a person as she was a player. They both have a deep connection to Hawai'i, and I know how much it means to them to come back and make their home in a place they care so much about. I couldn't be happier for both of them, and I'm excited for our players and for the future of UH water polo."
 
The Rainbow Wahine enter the 2027 season as the three-time defending Big West champions. UH is 61-15 over the last three seasons and reached the NCAA Championship quarterfinals twice in that span. The Rainbow Wahine have won 29 consecutive Big West matches (regular season and championship) and tied for fifth in last season's final CWPA poll.
 

Ikaika Aki

Coaching Experience
Loyola Marymount, Head Coach (2023-26)
San Clemente High School, (2021-22)
Loyola Marymount, Assistant Coach (2019-2020)
 
Hometown
Honolulu
 
Education
Concordia University Irvine (M.A. Coaching and Athletics Administration, 2021)
Loyola Marymount (B.S. Natural Science, 2011)
Punahou School (2006)
 
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