Illinois has added Zach Closson to its staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season, the school announced Thursday. Closson arrives after most recently spending time at Ohio University.
Closson spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ohio University. Like Illinois, Ohio University is only home to a women’s program. While at Ohio University, Closson primarily worked with the sprint and mid-distance free groups. The Ohio University women finished 2nd at the 2025 and 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships, the team’s best finishes since 2013.
Ohio University sent two women to the 2026 NCAA Championships. Zita Szoke swam the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles while Casi Dibetta swam the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.
Prior to his time at Ohio University, Closson spent three years as an assistant coach with Mecklenburg Swim Association in North Carolina.
He began his coaching career at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) as a volunteer assistant coach for three seasons. There he primarily worked with the sprint free and breaststroke groups. He graduated from Bowling Green in 2019 with a degree in sport management and a minor in general business. He is originally from El Dorado Hills, California.
Closson fills the position previously held by Kyle Patnode who was announced as a new assistant coach at fellow Big Ten school Michigan earlier this week.
The Illinois women finished 14th out of 14 teams at the 2026 Big Ten Championships with 195.5 points, finishing just behind Penn State’s 216 points. Chloe Diner led the way with 20 individual points including a 10th place finish in the 100 breast with a 1:00.26. Head coach Jeana Kempe enters her 5th season as head coach this fall.
