Daniel Foo elevated to head coach for UTEP beach volleyball
(Courtesy: UTEP Athletics)
EL PASO, Texas - Daniel Foo has been promoted to head coach of the UTEP Beach Volleyball team, Vice President and Director of Athletics Jim Senter announced on Monday.
Foo has served as Associate Head Coach for the first two seasons (2023-24) of the fledgling program.
Ben Wallis has doubled as head coach of the indoor and beach programs during that time and can now focus solely on leading an indoor team that has enjoyed unprecedented success under his guidance.
"We are thrilled to give Daniel the opportunity to take the reins of UTEP Beach Volleyball," Senter said. "The experience that he brought to El Paso, having served as assistant coach of the New Mexico beach team for five years, has proven to be invaluable. He has played a pivotal role in the progression of our program, from start-up to 12-match winner in only two years. We look forward to seeing continued growth under his leadership. UTEP Beach is in great hands with coach Foo!"
"I am very appreciative of, and excited about, the opportunity that Mr. Senter and UTEP have given me," Foo said. "I am highly aware of the type of winning culture being built in UTEP Athletics. Miner fans have lots to cheer for and I know Beach Volleyball will be one of them. I would like to thank Ben for his mentorship, leadership, and support these past two years. We are all very excited to see what Indoor Volleyball does this year. I hope to see all of you out in the sand next spring."
"I can't be more thrilled for Daniel to be the leader of our Beach program moving forward," Wallis said. "We knew pretty quickly in 2022 that we nailed the Beach hire with Mr. Foo, and it was obvious how great of a fit he is in El Paso. Daniel is a tireless worker who isn't afraid to show up early and leave late, and he is very in tune with the ever-changing landscape of sand volleyball around the globe.
"What I love most about Daniel is that he is a complete volley nerd and wants to get better every day as a leader of the program," Wallis added. "He cares a lot about our players and there aren't many beach programs in the country that are incorporating crossover players at the rate and level that we are, and that should be really fun to watch. I love that his family is already entrenched in El Paso culture and we are all excited to see where he takes this young, exciting, athletic Beach program in the near future."
UTEP announced the addition of Beach Volleyball as its 17th Division I sports program in January of 2022. Foo was hired in May of that year.
The Miners took to the sand for their inaugural campaign in 2023 and posted a 4-19 record.
Last year, UTEP achieved a winning record during the regular season before finishing 12-13 overall.
The Miners' Mila Popovic was named to the 2024 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Two Miners (Madison Hill and Summer McDonough) earned spots on the CUSA Beach Volleyball All-Academic Team, while UTEP's 3.63 team GPA merited an AVCA Academic Award.
Foo started playing beach volleyball in 2004 before transitioning into a coaching career.
He helped start the beach program at New Mexico in 2015.
The Lobos ranked 18th in the country a year later.
