Head coach Cameron Kainer is entering his second year with the Alaska Nanook swim program.
In year one, Kainer led the 'Nooks to a 2-1 record, helping them win their first head-to-head dual-meet since the 2018-19 season. Despite only two road trips in the COVID-shortened season, Kainer still led the Nanooks to the PCSC Championships on Apr. 14-16, 2021. After picking up head-to-head wins against Westmont and falling to Loyola Marymount in a tri-meet, Kainer and the 'Nooks took to Championships with high hopes. They finished the weekend with 512 total points and took home seventh place.
Prior to joining the Nanooks, Kainer served as the head men's and women's swimming and diving coach at the University of Texas Permian Basin, a fellow NCAA Division II institution, since 2013. Throughout his time with the Falcons, Kainer registered a 52-20 overall dual meet record, going 27-11 in the men's dual meet record and 25-9 for the women.
Under Kainer's leadership, the Falcons broke all men's and women's swimming program records, while most impressively qualifying 24 NCAA national "B-Cut" times. Before joining the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference, Kainer had 38 Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference championship "A-Cut" finalists and one conference championships in 2013. Since the inception of the NSISC, Kainer tallied 70 "A-Cut" finalists and over 120 recorded All-UTPB Top-Ten times.
Kainer specialized with the middle distance and distance groups with the Falcons, while overseeing one full-time assistant coach and one part-time assistant. Kainer also oversaw all aspects of the Falcons' swimming and diving programs, such as strength and conditioning workouts, budget and scholarship allocations, travel, equipment and recruiting.
An experienced coach, Kainer has also served on the swimming staff at the Florida Institute of Technology, the Nitro Swimming Group, St. Lawrence University, the Longhorn Swim Camp at the University of Texas and the Aggie Swim Camp at Texas A&M University.
Kainer is also certified as a USA Swimming Coach and also through the American Red Cross in CPR for the Professional Rescuer, lifeguard training and first aid.
Kainer is a graduate of UTPB in Odessa, Texas, where he earned a bachelor of arts in communication. As a Falcon, Kainer was the team captain and ranks in the school's all-time top-ten lists for the 1,000 free, the 1,650 free, the 200 breast, the 400 individual medley and was also a two-time member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Conference Team in 2009 and 2010.
Kainer also graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York with a master's degree in educational leadership.
