BERKELEY – California Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton announced the elevation of Bryan Del Castillo to head coach of the California men's gymnastics team on Monday following six years on the Golden Bears' coaching staff as an assistant (2020-22) and associate head coach (2023-25).
 
"We are excited to elevate Bryan into this permanent role to lead our men's gymnastics program moving forward," Knowlton said. "Bryan's experience at Cal as both a student-athlete and coach makes him an ideal choice to guide the young men in our program through their time at Cal. I am looking forward to watching the team thrive under his leadership."
 
Del Castillo, who was a five-time All-American as a gymnast at Cal (2007-11) and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2010 Pan American Games, acted as interim head coach during the second half of the 2025 season following the departure of head coach JT Okada in February. The Golden Bears finished the year with season-high scores in four straight meets, culminating in a 319.091 at the NCAA Championships qualifying round, and advanced seven individuals to the NCAA Final, where Regular-Season All-American Aidan Li claimed his second straight College Gymnastics Association (CGA) All-America honor with a second-place finish on pommel horse – the best result by a Cal gymnast in the event since 2012. Del Castillo also coached Jasper Smith-Gordon to an MPSF title on vault, which was the first by a Bear at the conference championships since 1987. He instructed both Li and rising sophomore Matteo Bardana at the Canadian Championships after the 2025 collegiate season, helping Li to his second straight Canadian pommel horse title and Bardana to Senior Next Gen parallel bars gold as well as a pair of age-group third place finishes on floor and rings.
 
As an assistant coach and associate head coach, Del Castillo helped oversee the development of All-American Caleb Rickard (vault, 2021) as well as Regular-Season All-Americans Smith-Gordon (vault, 2023-24) and Noah Newfeld (all-around, 2023), the latter of whom was also named the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Rookie of the Year in 2021. Del Castillo's contributions have played an integral role in extending Cal's streak of NCAA Championships team appearances to 25 in a row.
 
"It's a privilege to lead a program with such rich tradition and a strong history of competitive success," Del Castillo said. "We will honor and celebrate past achievements while forging a bold new path forward. Our goal is clear – to compete at the highest level of gymnastics while supporting each student-athlete in every step of their journey. We're building a championship mindset rooted in hard work, accountability and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Our focus is to elevate every aspect of the student-athlete experience, foster a culture of integrity, and develop leaders in the gym, in the classroom and in life."
 
Prior to joining the Bears as a full-time collegiate coach, Del Castillo worked with New Hope Academy of Gymnastics from 2014-19 in Fountain Valley, where he had previously trained as a junior gymnast and became a three-time all-around junior national champion as well as a five-time U.S. Junior National Team member. At New Hope Academy, he was both the head coach and director of the boys' program, with enrollment growing nearly threefold under his leadership. He later spent three months as head coach and operations manager of South Coast Gymnastics in Irvine before accepting the assistant coach position at Cal. Del Castillo has also been active as a coach on the pro circuit, including a stint as head coach of the Philippines Senior National Team at the 2011 Gymnastics World Championships.
 
As a gymnast with the Bears, Del Castillo helped lead the squad to four consecutive top-five team finishes at the NCAA Championships (2008-11) while picking up All-America honors in the all-around (2010-11), parallel bars (2011), floor exercise (2010) and high bar (2009). In his last year, he was a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award, which is presented each year to the nation's finest senior collegiate gymnast.
 
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