Former Siena College head coach Brogan Barr was hired as an assistant at LSU on Thursday, taking over the role vacated by Richard Salhus last September.
Barr spent four seasons at Siena, leading the Saints this past winter to their most school records in a season since 2011 while also boasting their first individual conference champion since 2011. During the 2022-23 season, they totaled nine dual meet victories — also their most since 2011. Siena, which competes at the Division I level in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), said a national search for its seventh head coach in program hwill begin immediately.
“I am very grateful for my time as a Siena Saint, and especially for the opportunity to lead the young women of the swimming and diving team over the past four years,” Barr said. “The student athletes have had remarkable success both in the pool and the classroom, and I am so proud of each of them and all of their accomplishments. I am confident the program is in a good place moving forward, and I am excited to cheer the Saints on from afar!”
Barr joins a Tiger staff that includes associate head coach Jon Sakovich, associate head coach Leah Stancil, and assistant Lyle Robelot under fourth-year LSU head coach Rick Bishop. Salhus, a former assistant, left last September for rival Alabama.
“I am very grateful to head coach Rick Bishop for this opportunity and beyond excited to be part of the LSU swimming and diving family,” Barr said. “To work with and learn from the superb coaching staff Coach Bishop has assembled is a privilege, as is the chance to play a role in the development of our outstanding student-athletes. I cannot wait to get to work in Baton Rouge!”
“We look forward to having Brogan join the LSU Swimming and Diving program,” Bishop said. “As a former head coach, Brogan brings a wealth of experience in the holistic development of the student-athlete. Having helped her Siena team achieve the highest GPA in team history (3.78, up from 3.3 in fall 2020) and earn significant success in the pool, Brogan will be a great addition supporting our continued pursuit of success both in the pool and in the classroom.”
Prior to Siena, Barr has spent two years as an assistant for both women and men at Hamilton College, where she oversaw five new school records. The Division III school is located in Clinton, New York, about 100 miles west of Siena’s campus in Loudonville, New York. Before Hamilton, Barr was an assistant at Williams College for two years and an assistant at SUNY Potsdam for one year.
The Colorado native swam collegiately at the Division III level for Minnesota’s Gustavus Adolphus College, where she graduated from in 2014. Gustavus Adolphus earned a program-best 7th-place finish in 2014 during Barr’s senior season. She went on to earn a Master of Science in Sport Management from the University of Florida in 2020.
Congratulations Brogan!! Such a great hire!!