Chapman University

Jason Willman enters his first year as the Interim Head Coach for the 2026-27, and his fifth overall. He spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach. Willman is also a two-time Chapman University graduate, and competed with the Panthers from 2019-22. He is the Chapman alumnus to become head coach of the program they competed for. 

During Willman’s four years as an assistant coach, the program made significant strides, highlighted by 163 school records, 12 NCAA B-Cut standards, and representation at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in each of the last four seasons.

The men’s program experienced particularly significant growth, improving from a sixth-place finish at the SCIAC Championships in 2022 to three consecutive third-place finishes. In 2026, the Panthers were ranked among the top 25 programs in NCAA Division III by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for the first time in program history.

A native of Glendora, California, Willman began his coaching career in 2021 as a summer league recreation coach with Glendora Aquatics. From 2022-24, he served as an age group coach with Golden West Swim Club in Huntington Beach.

Willman has also coached at the Longhorn Swim and Dive Camps at the University of Texas at Austin, where he had the opportunity to work alongside renowned Olympic coaches Bob Bowman, Carol Capitani, Eddie Reese, and Matt Scoggin. Additionally, he has served as a lead coach for Nike Swim Camps at UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Willman earned a Master of Arts in Leadership Development from Chapman University in 2026 and a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic and Corporate Communication from Chapman in 2022. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Mt. San Antonio College in 2019.

He currently resides in Anaheim.