Daniel Marella joined Pepperdine in September 2022 as the volunteer assistant swim and dive coach. He became an assistant coach at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. In his time with the team, Marella has helped the Waves win back-to-back PCSC championships in 2022 and 2023 and the MPSF championships in 2025. The 2025-26 season will be his fourth with the team.
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Originally from Cupertino, California, Marella received his bachelor’s degree in music studies from UC Santa Barbara in 2022. While at UCSB, he was a two-time captain for the men’s swim and dive program. Marella had three top-three finishes at the MPSF Championships in his swim career and recorded four top-10 times in the UCSB record books. He earned All-MPSF first team accolades in the 500 free and 400 IM in 2021 and 2019, respectively.
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Outside of the pool, Marella worked as a production assistant for ZHC Corporation in Hollywood in both 2020 and 2021. Prior to that, he was an assistant engineer at Hidden City Studios in Santa Barbara.
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In addition to coaching, Marella currently works as a studio musician in North Hollywood.
