Army West Point has announced the hiring of Scott Thacker as its new head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach. He replaces Brandt Nigro, who left the program to take over as associate head coach of the University of Texas women’s teams.
While being an athletics coach at a service academy is a unique role, Thacker will bring relevant experience to the position. He comes from the Virginia Military Institute in Virginia, a Senior Military College where all students are required to take two years of ROTC training.
Thacker spent four seasons at VMI, where last season alone, the men broke 10 school records and the women broke 20.
The men’s team finished 4th out of 6 teams at the America East Championships while the women were 7th out of 7 teams. The men’s team finished last at that meet the year before Thacker’s arrival, and the women’s team achieved back-to-back wins against D1 opponents for the first time in a decade.
For his work, he was named the 2025-2026 VMI Distinguished Coaching Award honoree.
A Virginia native, he was a Virginia High School State Champion in 2005 and a three-time national champion. He went on to swim at Florida Sate for four years, including winning an ACC title in the 100 breaststroke in 2010.
The men’s team broke all but two school records during his tenure (ironically, the breaststroke events), while the women’s team broke all but six school records.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected as the next Director of Swimming and Diving for the Army West Point Athletic Association,” said Thacker. “There is no institution in the world that matches the prestige of the United States Military Academy or its dominance in forging leaders of character ready to serve our country. I extend my deepest gratitude to Director of Athletics Tom Theodorakis and the leadership here at West Point for trusting me with the future of this program. To be given the responsibility of leading this team is a profound privilege, and I am eager to carry the weight of such a position with the humility and dedication it deserves. I look forward to partnering with our administration, our staff, and the entire West Point community as we take this team forward into the next chapter of its continued success.”
While his mission was a rebuilding project at VMI, at Army he will instead take on a program that has been at a high water mark in the pool. The Army women sent three individual qualifiers to the 2026 NCAA Championships, while the Army men finished 33rd at heir NCAA Championship meet.
The Army men have qualified relays for each of the last two NCAA Championship meets, partially on the strength of rising 3rd year Johnny Crush, who tied for 5th in the 100 back at this year’s meet.
In 2025, the Army men won their first Patriot League title since 2001, snapping a 20 year Navy winning streak.
Thacker previously worked as head coach at Roanoke College, where he took over the program’s relaunch in D3 athletics in 2017. He was also a club coach with the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club and the Greater Richmond YMCA Tritons.
“A Virginia native, he was a Virginia High School State Champion in 2005 and a three-time national champion.”
What does “national champion” mean in this context?