Schimmel Named Razorback Head Swimming and Diving Coach

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Sean Schimmel has been named the head women’s swimming and diving coach at the University of Arkansas, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long announced Friday.

Schimmel joins the Razorback program after spending the last four seasons as the head coach at the University of Maryland. Prior to his tenure with the Terrapins, he was an assistant coach at LSU and at Harvard.

“We are pleased to announce the selection of Sean Schimmel as the head coach of our swimming and diving program,” Long said. “Sean brings a tremendous wealth of experience to our program including a clear understanding of what is required to build and maintain a competitive swimming and diving program within the Southeastern Conference and nationally.

“He has been an integral part of nationally competitive programs as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach. Throughout his coaching career, he has mentored student-athletes enabling them to achieve at a high level in the pool and in the classroom. I am confident that under Coach Schimmel’s leadership our swimming and diving program will continue to succeed athletically and academically while proudly representing the University of Arkansas.”

While the head coach at Maryland, Schimmel led the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs for four seasons. It wasn’t long into his tenure with Maryland that it became evident the program was on the upswing as Terps swimmers tallied 25 school records – 14 on the men’s and 11 on the women’s side — in Schimmel’s first year.

More recently, in 2011-12, he guided the Terps to a top 25 finish (22nd) at the NCAA Championships on the women’s side. In four seasons with the women’s team, Schimmel went 37-8 in dual meet action, and Maryland swimmers also totaled 19 All-America nods.

The Terps were no stranger to academic success under Schimmel’s tutelage, as Maryland was named a College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America team for three consecutive seasons, and this season seven Terps received Academic All-ACC honors, with 27 total honors in his four seasons.

Prior to his time at Maryland, he was the associate head coach at LSU from 2007-2009 and served as the top assistant at Harvard from 1999-2006. During his time at LSU and Harvard, Schimmel coached a total of 53 All-Americans.

At Harvard he helped capture four Ivy League conference championships with the Crimson.

He joined the Harvard staff after becoming the head coach at the La Canada Flintridge YMCA in California, where he coached several men and women to the YMCA National Championships. While working with the YMCA, he managed a staff of three coaches and a 115-member swim team.

Schimmel had an impressive collegiate swimming career as a power in the butterfly and freestyle events for the University of Southern California (1987-91). Schimmel competed in the 1988 Olympic trials in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly. In 1992, he graduated from USC with a bachelor’s in communications.

Schimmel is married to the former Tricia Starr, and the couple has two daughters, Peyton Lilly and Dillan Rose.

For more information regarding Razorback swimming & diving or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.