PULLMAN, Wash. (July 22, 2026) – Parker Hughes was named a Washington State Swimming Assistant Coach, head coach Russell Whitaker announced Wednesday.
Hughes swam at Michigan as a freshman and sophomore, helping the Wolverines to a Big Ten Conference Championships in 2019 and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2020 and 2021. Hughes swam his final three seasons at TCU where he served as a team captain his final two seasons, earning CSC Academic All-District honors.
“From the moment Parker stepped foot on campus I knew we had found the right person,” Whitaker said. “Parker’s alignment with our vision, goals, and core values as a program stood out to us immediately through the hiring process. Parker has a passion like no other for the sport of swimming. That is shown from his experience as a student-athlete and his continued research and involvement in the sport with his thesis on swimming. We are excited to welcome Parker to the Cougar family and for all that he will bring! Congrats Parker!”
“I am very excited to join a Swim Team and Athletic Department with such cohesion and drive towards excellence,” Hughes said. “ These characteristics were apparent from the beginning, and I am eager to continue building on these en route to a Conference Championship. Thank you to Coach Russell Whitaker, Jim Spooner, and Jon Haarlow for the opportunity, I can’t wait to get to work! Go Cougs!”
Hughes earned his bachelor’s degree in applied exercise science from Michigan along with a bachelor’s degree in health and fitness and a master’s degree in exercise physiology and biomechanics from TCU.
Parker recently defended his thesis on mechanical determinants of maximal sprint velocities in the four competitive swimming strokes. Through this he was able to gather and analyze data from some of the most elite athletes and coaches.
