Coach Wade grew up in Southern California and started swimming at the age of 6 years old. As a swimmer, he was able to achieve times and compete at various levels of the sport including Junior Olympics, Sectionals, Junior Nationals, Nationals, and the 2016 Olympic Trials. In high school, he swam for Golden West Swim Club under Coach Mark Schubert before he went on to swim in college at the University of Wyoming. Coach Wade swam all four years of college and graduated with a B.S. degree in physiology.