Patrick Ota has been coaching at Fresno Pacific since the program's inception in 2007, including the last three years as the head assistant coach under Peter Richardson. Ota has helped guide the Sunbirds to two NAIA national championships (2010, 2011) and two NAIA national runner-up titles (2009 men, 2011 women). He has been the head assistant coach for all three of Coach Richardson's National Coach of the Year titles (Men’s 2009, Women’s 2010, Men’s 2011).
Ota attended UC Santa Barbara, where he spent four years on the swim team. While competing for the Gauchos, Ota won the 100 backstroke three times at the conference championships, setting a Big West Conference record of 48.18 in his senior year. He helped UCSB win conference championships in 2004 and 2006. He was an NCAA qualifier in the 100 backstroke in his senior year. Ota graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in Film Studies in 2006.
Ota is an alum of Immanuel High School in Reedley, CA. He swam with Raisin Country Aquatics, and was a four-time CIF champion and six-time High School All-American. He was also a five-time national qualifier, finishing as high as 16th in the 100 backstroke in 2004.
Other coaching experience includes being the co-head men's coach at Immanuel High School in 2007, and the junior varsity men's coach at San Marcos High School in 2006.
In addition to his role as assistant men's and women's swimming coach at FPU, Ota is the national team coach for Raisin Country Aquatics in Selma.
