Courtesy: Bryn Mawr Athletics
BRYN MAWR, Pa. – Bryn Mawr College Director of Athletics Kathy Tierney announced the hiring of Pat McDevitt as the next Head Swim Coach and Aquatics Director on Friday, July 6, 2018. McDevitt becomes the 10th head coach in the recorded history of the program and the youngest women’s swimming head coach in the Centennial Conference.
“I am so excited to join the Bryn Mawr College community as the head swim coach,” said McDevitt. “I would like to thank Director of Athletics Kathy Tierney and the search committee for the opportunity to coach the swim team and contribute to campus community through the physical education department.”
“I am very excited to welcome Pat to Bryn Mawr as our next head swimming coach, Aquatics Director and Physical Education lecturer,” Bryn Mawr Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation Kathy Tierney stated. “Pat’s appreciation and experience supporting student-athletes achieve excellence in all areas of their lives is a central part of his coaching philosophy, and is consistent with the values of Bryn Mawr College and the Athletics Department. He has an exciting vision for Bryn Mawr Swimming that promotes individual and team achievement. As the Aquatics Director and Physical Education Lecturer, Pat’s will provide outstanding leadership and support to the entire Bryn Mawr College community.”
McDevitt is already very familiar with the Centennial Conference swimming landscape, as he built a strong collegiate swimming career as a school-record holder at Gettysburg College. Following his graduation from Gettysburg, McDevitt coached Pennsylvania high school state champions, YMCA national finalists, and National Age Group Record Holders at his local YMCA.
McDevitt got his first taste of collegiate swim coaching at Albright College, where he assisted in all aspects of running an NCAA Division III swim program and served as assistant aquatics director. That experience included everything from implementing workouts and providing technique analysis to assisting in recruitment efforts that helped the Lions land several national-caliber swimmers. During his tenure at Albright, the program developed a Division III All-American swimmer, two team titles in the Middle Atlantic Conference, and 34 new school records.
That first collegiate coaching experience only whetted McDevitt’s desire to continue to gain experience and have an impact on the lives of student-athletes, as he then moved on to the position of Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Trinity College. There, he continued to assist in all aspects of the program while also serving as the head of recruitment efforts. The results of his efforts speak for themselves, as in two seasons, McDevitt’s strategies helped Trinity swimming nett back-to-back all-time largest recruiting classes in program history and increased the roster size of the program from 27 to 45 student-athletes. During his tenure, Trinity swimmers set 151 lifetime best times, 101 new program top ten times, 32 school records, and three NCAA Qualifying times. McDevitt also simultaneously worked to earn his Master of Arts in American Studies from Trinity, earning the Honors in Graduate Scholarship and graduating last year.
Alongside McDevitt’s duties as the head coach of the Bryn Mawr Swimming program, he will also serve as the Aquatics Director and as a Physical Education lecturer. As part of those responsibilities, McDevitt will administer all aspects of Bryn Mawr College’s swim proficiency test and manage all aspects of the pool including hiring lifeguards, overseeing the facility, and organizing swim opportunites for outside groups.
McDevitt is certainly excited to step into the role of the next head coach of the Owls. “Bryn Mawr’s elite academic reputation and supportive campus community on the Main Line make it a destination for student-athletes,” he closed. “Bryn Mawr swimming is poised for success in the future and I am thrilled to be a part of it!”
