Swimming & Diving to Take On New Leadership Following Resignation of Head Coach
5/8/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
GW Director of Athletics Tanya Vogel announced today that Head Coach Brian Thomas is leaving GW to pursue another opportunity in collegiate swimming.
"The past six years have far exceeded any expectations that I had when we started at GW back in 2018," said Thomas. "I'm grateful to Tanya, Andrew and the rest of our administration for entrusting me in leading the program and extremely proud of our student-athletes for the way they represented GW during my time in Foggy Bottom. I've been surrounded by excellent coaches and support staff at GW and I'm grateful for their commitment to our student-athletes. The greatest joy has been watching my two boys grow up alongside our team while spending countless hours on the pool deck. They've had the best role models a father could ask for and Danielle and I are eternally grateful for that. The future is bright at GW and I look forward to watching the program continue to grow."
Originally named as head coach on July 12, 2018, Thomas took over a men's program that was coming off back-to-back Atlantic 10 Championships in 2017 and 2018, and he was able to keep the program's momentum going with conference championships in five of his six seasons at the helm of the men's side. On the women's side, Thomas presided over the team's first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship in his second year, when a deep and talented roster from seniors to first-years, including GW greats Jackie Torrez and Gemma Athlerley in their final season. The women's program has since won the last three A-10 crowns, making Thomas a multiple-time honoree as conference coach of the year for both programs. Â
During his tenure, multiple outstanding swimmers qualified for the NCAA meet, including Djurdje Matic, Ava DeAngelis, Ava Topolewski and Julia Knox. Additionally, Moritz Fath, Karol Mlynarczyk, Marek Osina and Connor Rodgers have been named Most Outstanding Performer at the A-10 Championship meet since 2018.
"I want to thank Brian for his commitment to excellence in the pool," said GW Athletics Director Tanya Vogel. "He has recruited incredible people who value GW and are extremely dedicated to being their best in multiple areas of their life. We wish Brian and Danielle all the best as they embark on this next chapter."
A national search has begun for the next head coach.
"The past six years have far exceeded any expectations that I had when we started at GW back in 2018," said Thomas. "I'm grateful to Tanya, Andrew and the rest of our administration for entrusting me in leading the program and extremely proud of our student-athletes for the way they represented GW during my time in Foggy Bottom. I've been surrounded by excellent coaches and support staff at GW and I'm grateful for their commitment to our student-athletes. The greatest joy has been watching my two boys grow up alongside our team while spending countless hours on the pool deck. They've had the best role models a father could ask for and Danielle and I are eternally grateful for that. The future is bright at GW and I look forward to watching the program continue to grow."
Originally named as head coach on July 12, 2018, Thomas took over a men's program that was coming off back-to-back Atlantic 10 Championships in 2017 and 2018, and he was able to keep the program's momentum going with conference championships in five of his six seasons at the helm of the men's side. On the women's side, Thomas presided over the team's first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship in his second year, when a deep and talented roster from seniors to first-years, including GW greats Jackie Torrez and Gemma Athlerley in their final season. The women's program has since won the last three A-10 crowns, making Thomas a multiple-time honoree as conference coach of the year for both programs. Â
During his tenure, multiple outstanding swimmers qualified for the NCAA meet, including Djurdje Matic, Ava DeAngelis, Ava Topolewski and Julia Knox. Additionally, Moritz Fath, Karol Mlynarczyk, Marek Osina and Connor Rodgers have been named Most Outstanding Performer at the A-10 Championship meet since 2018.
"I want to thank Brian for his commitment to excellence in the pool," said GW Athletics Director Tanya Vogel. "He has recruited incredible people who value GW and are extremely dedicated to being their best in multiple areas of their life. We wish Brian and Danielle all the best as they embark on this next chapter."
A national search has begun for the next head coach.
Players Mentioned
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