TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona Athletics Department and Beach Volleyball Head Coach Steve Walker have agreed to a new contract through the 2025 season. Walker, who has led the program since its creation, has grown Arizona Beach Volleyball into a beacon of success on the sand, in the classroom and in the community.

"Steve continues to build Arizona Beach Volleyball into a championship-caliber program of success," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke. "Under his leadership, our beach volleyball program has grown alongside the huge growth in popularity of the sport throughout the country, positioning Arizona Beach Volleyball for an exciting future.  Steve has coached and mentored the outstanding young women of this program to represent our Wildcat Way mission at the highest level as academic, athletic and life champions. We look forward to Steve continuing his excellent work for years to come."

Arizona has amassed an impressive record of 114-43 under Walker's tutelage since Beach Volleyball became an official NCAA sport in 2016. The success of the program grew in that 2016 season as Walker was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year following the Wildcats' 20-7 season and final AVCA poll ranking of sixth.

"With the utmost amount of gratitude and appreciation, I would like to thank Dave Heeke and the McKale Executive Staff for their continued support and belief in me to lead this program," Walker said. "It's no secret that NCAA beach volleyball is growing at a tremendous rate, and the support shown by our administration to keep pace gives me all the confidence we can compete at the highest of levels. I would also like to thank our tremendous support staff that our student-athletes and I work with on a daily basis for their continued efforts. And of course, all credit goes to the student-athletes themselves, who give every part of themselves to push Arizona Beach Volleyball to the highest level."

The rise of the program continued as the 2019 season became the winningest in program history with a final record of 25-6. The Wildcats were off a historic start to the 2020 season, with a record of 10-2, before the cancellation of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season finished with 22 wins, making it the second-winningest season in Arizona history.

Walker has coached a total of four AVCA All-Americans, 10 recipients of the AVCA's Top Flight Award and a dozen All-Pac-12 performers.

The Wildcats' success in the sand has been matched by their excellence in the classroom. Beach Volleyball student-athletes have earned Academic All-Pac-12 honors on nine different occasions. The program has regularly broken team grade point average records, including posting the highest team GPA of any women's program at Arizona in five of the last six semesters.