With just days before the Olympic Trials, the hiring season continues at the mid-major programs. On Monday UC Santa Barbara and Louisville both named assistant coaches. At UCSB, head coach Gregg Wilson named Naya Higashijima to replace Brandon Seider. Meanwhile in Louisville, Arthur Albierio brought on David Walden, from Auburn as an assistant.

"After an extensive national search, I am pleased to announce that David Walden will be joining our staff for the 2004-2005 season, " said Albiero. "David brings great energy, work ethic, and a strong desire to succeed. He understands the details behind a successful program and I believe he is certainly one of the brightest young college coaches."

Walden spent last year at Auburn, where the Tigers won the Men's and Women's NCAA Division I National Championship. His responsibilities included scouting and recruiting of high school athletes, arranging recruiting visits, on-deck coaching with all strokes and distances, using a variety of video analysis techniques and conducting promotional activities with the marking department.

Prior to his stay at Auburn, Walden was an assistant coach at the English Institute of Sports in Loughborough University. There, he worked with World Champion medallist James Gibson and Zoe Baker and coached his first athlete onto the British National Team. The swimmer, Emma Collins, competed in the Open Water World Cub Circuit for the 5km.

"He has worked with a wealth of world class athletes and coaches over his coaching career, and his experience and background along with his outgoing personality are a perfect fit with our program," said Albiero, whose squad set 19 school records during his first year as skipper.

An accomplished swimmer himself, Walden was an annual qualifier for the British National Championships. He competed at the European Trials in 1995 and 1997, the Olympic Trials in 1996 and the Commonwealth Trials in 1998. At Henderson State University, he earned All-American honors at the 1999 NCAA Division II Championships.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work at the University of Louisville. The Athletics Department is moving in the right direction with the hiring of young and experienced coaches as well as the building of new facilities and the start of a new competitive era in the Big East Conference. After meeting with Coach Albiero and seeing his enthusiasm and passion for the sport and the University of Louisville I knew this was the place I wanted to be."

"I hope to bring with me the knowledge I have gained from working with a successful swimming program at Auburn University and coaching with David Marsh and his staff to add value and bring results to the Cardinal Swimming and Diving team," said Walden.

Higashijima will begin her tenure at UCSB on August 1 and work primarily with the Gaucho sprinters and breaststrokers, while also playing a major role in recruiting for both the men and women. As an undergraduate assistant coach at Oregon State last season, she helped the Beaver women place 20th at the NCAA Championships, their highest national finish ever.

In 2003 the native of Kawaguchi, Japan completed one of the most successful careers in OSU history, setting five school records while recording 106 first-place finishes in dual meet and invitational competition, also a program record. Higashijima was a two-time All-American in the 200 butterfly, placing 10th at the NCAA¹s in 2002 before earning an eighth-place finish as a senior the following year. She received her B.A. in liberal studies from Oregon State earlier this month while minoring in both Chinese and athletic administration.

After two seasons at UCSB, Seider will become head coach of the Santa Barbara Swim Club following Ira Klein's departure to become Director of Field Services for USA Swimming.