Longtime Ventura College women's water polo head coach and men's and women's swimming head coach Mary (McDonough) Giles was named Interim Athletic Director for the Pirates' Department of Intercollegiate Athletics on Aug. 17, 2018. Giles has been a coach at Ventura College for 18 years, guiding three different teams to 14 Western State Conference titles and five CCCAA State Scholar Team Awards.  Additionally she has been a faculty member for nearly two decades, the past two years as a full-time instructor in health education and kinesiology. 

"We are very excited to have Mary step in and help us lead a great athletics department," said Harrison.

"She has held coaching and teaching roles at the college spanning nearly two decades and we are indeed fortunate that she is willing to share her expertise and leadership as our interim athletic director."

Coach Giles has led the Pirates' women's water polo team for 18 years, winning seven Western State Conference crowns (2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) . She has also been honored as the WSC Coach of the Year for the six times (2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) and has a career record of 297-291-2 on the pool deck, 65-25 regular season WSC play. In the classroom, Giles' teams have captured four CCCAA State Scholar Team Awards (2007, 2009, 2013 and 2015). 

Giles has worked with the VC men's and women's swimming and diving teams from 2001-2005 and from 2014 through the present, the past three years as head coach. Giles shared the Western State Conference men's swimming Coach of the Year honors with retired VC coach Larry Baratte in 2016 before earning the honor again in 2017, both WSC championship campaigns by the Pirate men.  She also led the VC women to runner-up finishes in the conference championships in 2016 and 2017, respectfully, and led the 2016 VC women to the State Scholar Team Award.  As an assistant coach, she helped the women to four conference titles in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and helped guide the men to the WSC crown in 2014.

Giles was named the Ventura College Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2015.  

Coach Giles was born and raised in Ventura. She attended Buena High School where she was a member of the swim team and played water polo on the boys' team. While attending Ventura College she was a two-year All-WSC and All-American swimmer and played on the first women's water polo club team at Ventura College.  She was the swimming MVP her second year before transferring to San Jose State.

While at San Jose, Giles swam for Roseann Benson and played water polo under the coaching of Lou Tully.  She captained the Spartans' water polo team for three years, was a three-year Western Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete, a three year SJSU Outstanding Athlete and a 1998 Mountain Pacific Scholar Athlete.  She earned her bachelor's degree cum laude in 1999 from San Jose State majoring in nutritional science with minors in chemistry and health and was a Dean's Scholar.  Giles completed her teaching credential at Cal Lutheran University and earned her master's degree in education with an emphasis in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2003.

Giles resides in Ventura with her husband Mike, and son Merrick and daughter Makayla.