James Washbish is an assistant coach for the West Virginia University swimming and diving program in Morgantown, West Virginia, a position he has held since joining the staff in September 2023. At WVU, he works with the distance freestyle group and assists with recruiting. In the 2025-26 season, freshman Jake Salcedo moved into the program's top 10 in the 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events and finished the year ranked among the top four in each, including second in the 1000 freestyle.
Before arriving at West Virginia, Washbish spent two seasons as an assistant swim coach at Ohio from 2021 to 2023, where he coached distance and middle-distance freestyle swimmers, organized recruiting visits, and contributed to fundraising efforts. He was previously the head swim coach at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky, guiding the girls team to a third-place finish at the 2021 Kentucky High School Athletic Association state meet. Washbish also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Kentucky from 2015 to 2019 and earned his B.S. in community and leadership development from the university.
