CJ Vaifanua-Pace joined the Aggies prior to the 2023-24 season, bringing 11 years of collegiate coaching experience, including seven years as a head coach, to the position. Most recently, she served as the head coach at Division II CSU Monterey Bay for four seasons from 2018-22.
In 2024-25, Vaifanua-Pace helped the Aggies set a program record with 256 made 3-pointers. Utah State also surpassed the program record for 3-point attempts with 889 attempts from behind the arc on the year. Vaifanua-Pace helped freshmen Carlie Latta and Taliyah Logwood to Freshman of the Week honors from the Mountain West, the first weekly conference honors for the team since 2022. The Aggies saw year-over-year improvements that ranked among the top in the nation for 3-pointers made and attempted per game and finished the season at 4-27, earning a 10-seed in the MW Tournament.
Prior to her time at CSU Monterey Bay, Vaifanua-Pace was the head coach for three seasons at East Georgia State College from 2015-18. There, she became the first coach in program history to lead the team to back-to-back GCAA Final Fours in 2017 and 2018. She was named the GCAA Coach of the Year in 2017. With the Bobcats, she helped develop three all-conference players including 2016-17 GCAA Player of the Year and NJCAA Second-Team All-American Shunseere Kent.
Before becoming a head coach, Vaifanua-Pace served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Armstrong State in Savannah, Georgia, from 2013-15. She helped lead the Pirates to their first-ever NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearance in 2014 and to back-to-back PBC Tournament appearances.
Vaifanua-Pace got her coaching start as an assistant at Chipola College in 2011-12, before going on to hold the same position at Georgia Perimeter College in 2012-13.
Prior to her coaching career, Vaifanua-Pace enjoyed a high level of success as a player at both the collegiate and professional levels. After beginning her career at Chipola College, she played her final two college seasons at South Carolina. As a senior under Hall of Fame coach Dawn Staley, Vaifanua-Pace averaged 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds while starting 24 games for the Gamecocks. She then went on to play professionally for two seasons in Portugal and Peru.
A native of Snellville, Georgia, Vaifanua-Pace earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of South Carolina in 2010 and a master's degree in sports management with an emphasis in athletic administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2017.
Vaifanua-Pace and her partner are parents to twin girls, Camryn and Ryann.