ASCA Announces Six Nominees for 2022 Coach of the Year

The American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) announced the six finalists for the 2022 George Haines Coach of the Year award on Thursday.

This year’s nominees are Virginia’s Todd DeSorbo, Cal’s Dave Durden, Indiana’s Ray Looze, Stanford’s Greg Meehan, Florida’s Anthony Nesty, and Georgia Tech’s Michael Norment.

The award recognizes these coaches for effectively preparing their swimmers to perform outstandingly at the World level. In an Olympic year, the ASCA only considers coaches who contributed gold medalist athletes.

Each of the finalists had at least one athlete who earned a gold medal at the recent 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

DeSorbo is the head coach at the University of Virginia, where he trained medalists Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass. Walsh won three golds in the 200 IM and 400 medley and 800 free relays as a member. Douglass earned her first World Championship medals this summer with two bronzes in the 200 breast and 400 free relay.

Durden is the head coach of the men’s team at UC Berkeley, where he trained multiple gold medalist Ryan Murphy. He earned his first long course meters World Championship individual gold in the 200 back and took home another gold as a member of the 400 mixed medley relay as well as two silvers in the 100 back and 400 medley relay.

Looze is the head coach at Indiana University, where he trained multiple gold medalist Lilly King. She won her first international 200 breast and earned two other gold medals in the women’s 400 medley relay and mixed 400 medley relay as a member.

Meehan is the head coach of the women’s team at Stanford University, where he trained multiple gold medalists Torri Huske and Regan Smith. Huske won three golds in the 100 fly and the women’s and mixed 400 medley relays. She also earned three bronzes in the 100 free and the women’s and mixed 400 free relays. Smith won two golds in the 100 back and 400 medley relay.

Nesty is the head coach at the University of Florida, where he trained gold medalists Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Bobby Finke, Natalie Hinds, and Kieran Smith. Ledecky won four golds in the 400 free, 800 free, 1500 free, and 800 free relay. Dressel won two golds in the 50 fly and 400 free relay. Finke won gold in the 800 free and earned silver in the 1500 free. Hinds won a gold medal in the 400 medley relay and earned a bronze in the 400 free relay as a member in both events. Smith won a gold medal in the 800 free relay.

Norment is an assistant coach at Georgia Tech University where he trained gold medalist Nic Fink. He won two golds in the 50 breast and the mixed 400 medley relay. He also earned silver in the men’s 400 medley relay and bronze in the 100 breast.

Last year’s winner was former Florida head coach Gregg Troy, who prepared Caeleb Dressel for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Dressel’s five gold medals at the Games proved that Troy contributed the most to American Swimming Excellence at the World level. Troy’s 2021 title is his second after his 2010 honor, when his swimmer Ryan Lochte won six gold medals at the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

One of the 2022 finalists will be announced as the winner on September 8th at the awards banquet held during the ASCA World Clinic at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas.

You can visit the ASCA World Clinic’s website for more information.