As acting head coach, Del Castillo led Cal to its top performance of the season with a score of 319.091 on Day 1 of the 2025 NCAA Championships, also qualifying seven men to the final. Pommel horse specialist Aidan Li, who had earlier won Regular Season All-America honors, notched his second-straight All-America nod at the meet with a runner-up finish – highest by any Bear since 2015 and best by a pommel horse specialist since 2012. Both Li and freshman Matteo Bardana were named to the Canadian National Team that year, with Li earning a spot on the Senior squad and Bardana on the Senior Next Gen lineup; Li also picked up CGA and MPSF Specialist of the Week honors during the season, while Bardana received recognition as an MPSF Freshman of the Week. Del Castillo also coached the Bears to three additional MPSF medals, in addition to Li’s: Jasper Smith-Gordon became Cal’s first MPSF champion since 2018 and its first vault champion since 1987, while Theodor Roald Gadderud took silver in the all-around and bronze on parallel bars. Following the regular season, seven Bears were named on the MPSF’s All-Academic list.
In 2024, the Bears had their best performance yet at the NCAA Championships, posting their best overall finish (seventh) and highest team score at the NCAA Qualifier in that scoring era (407.158) while qualifying 10 to the final – the program’s most since 2015. Aidan Li, who later went on to become the Canadian pommel horse champion, notched his first-career All-American nod to become Cal’s first in the event since 2014. Jasper Smith-Gordon also picked up his second-straight Regular-Season All-American award. The Bears’ MPSF weekly award-winners included Theodor Roald Gadderud (Gymnast of the Week), Chris Scales (Specialist of the Week) and the trio of Carter Kim, Brendan Strom and Jaxon Mitchell (Freshman of the Week). In total, Cal posted four scores over 400 and set team program records in three events, plus 13 additional top 10s; individuals posted 15 program top-10 scores, including Li’s school record on pommel horse.
The 2023 season saw the Bears earn another trip to the NCAA Championships, finishing ninth as a team and fielding seven Finals qualifiers for the second straight year. Noah Newfeld appeared in his second straight Winter Cup, while Tyler Shimizu represented Cal at the Core Hydration Classic and at the U.S. Championships that summer. Freshman Khalen Curry set the program vault record in February; two weeks later, sophomore Jasper Smith-Gordon bettered that mark to earn co-CGA Rookie and Specialist of the Week as well as MPSF Specialist of the Week honors. Other weekly award-winners on the squad included senior Noah Sano (MPSF Specialist) and freshman Theodor Roald Gadderud (MPSF Freshman x 2). Both Newfeld and Smith-Gordon were named CGA Regular Season All-Americans, while Curry, Sano, Roald Gadderud, Chris Scales and Landon Wu notched All-MPSF nods. In total, Cal accumulated 13 individual program top-10 scores and six team top-10s. 11 members of the squad were named MPSF All-Academic; Lavanakul and Smith Gordon also earned CSC Academic All-District Honors.
In the 2022 season, Del Castillo helped lead Cal to yet another NCAA Championships appearance, where they finished ninth as a team. No fewer than seven qualifiers reached the Finals that year, including two freshmen. Star Noah Newfeld represented the Bears at the Winter Cup and the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, with teammate Noah Sano joining him in the latter event. Senior Yu-Chen Lee earned both CGA and MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors in late February after leading Cal to a season-high 401.150 total points. In total, 12 members of the team reached MPSF All-Academic status that year.
Navigating through unprecedented times during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Del Castillo led the Golden Bears to their seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships, finishing with a national team ranking of No. 10. His leadership helped Caleb Rickard earn All-America honors at the national meet. Del Castillo also produced the program's first national rookie of the year honor when Noah Newfeld was tabbed the CGA Rookie of the Year.
Prior to the 2020 season ending abruptly due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Del Castillo guided the Golden Bears to many accomplishments. The Bears set program records in three events - floor, parallel bars and vault, including notching the top three vault scores in school history. Individually, Del Castillo helped Darren Wong set the school record on parallel bars and also guided the sophomore to an event victory on floor at the Pac-12 Invitational. Another of his pupils, 2021 team captain Caleb Rickard, was tabbed MPSF Gymnast of the Week in March. Academically, five Bears earned MPSF All-Academic honors.
Del Castillo garnered five total All-America honors during his career at Cal with two in 2011 (all-around - fifth; parallel bars - fifth), two in 2010 (all-around - fourth; floor - sixth) and one in 2009 (horizontal bar - sixth). He boasts years of international experience, as well as years of coaching at different levels under his belt.
Del Castillo is a former U.S. National team member and a Pan American gold medalist. He also spent 2013 as a Senior National Team coach for USA Gymnastics. In addition to his work with USA Gymnastics, Del Castillo served as the head coach for The Philippines at the Tokyo World Championships.
At the end of his collegiate career, Del Castillo remained a fixture of the Bears' program as a graduate assistant coach from 2011-13, helping the 2012 Cal squad earn a fourth-place finish at NCAAs.
From 2014-19, Del Castillo served as the head coach/boys program director at New Hope Academy of Gymnastics. Responsible for all of the daily operations for the boys program, he grew the team and produced national qualifiers.
Most recently, Del Castillo was the head coach for South Coast Gymnastics in Irvine, Calif., in 2019.
Del Castillo graduated from Cal in 2011 with a degree in economics.
