Dusty Thomas and Lia Kunnapas Selected As NFHS’ Swimming Coaches of The 2023-24 Season

Dusty Thomas and Lia Kunnapas have been selected as the swimming and diving high school coaches for the 2023-24 school year by the NFHS Coaches Association, the organization announced on Monday, Jan. 13. The NFHS has handed out awards for high school coaches since 1982; 24 coaches were honored as part of this class of winners.

Thomas received the award for boys’ swimming and diving high school coach of the year for his work at Boaz High School in Alabama. Thomas led the program to the 2023 AHSAA Class 1A-5A state championship title, marking back-to-back wins for Boaz and Thomas’ third title with the program. After the 2023 season, Thomas departed Boaz, taking a job as Albertville High School’s head coach.

“While I was at Boaz, I had the privilege of working with many talented swimmers who were committed to excellence,” said Thomas. In over a decade at Boaz, Thomas’ teams won six North Alabama Sectional Championships, and the team has finished in the top three at the AHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships every year since 2017. Thomas also oversaw the girls’ program while at Boaz, and the team earned a program-best runner-up finish at the 2023 North Alabama Sectional Championships.

Kunnapas’ award marked another in a long list of accolades she’s compiled throughout her coaching career. She was named the Bergen County Girls Coach of the Year and NJ.Com Girls Swimming Coach of the Year for her work this past season. Kunnapas coaches at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, New Jersey. She has guided the girls’ program to NJSIAA state titles in six of her eight seasons as head coach.

Kunnapas told NFHS she “strives to create an environment that fosters mutual respect between coaches, swimmers, teammates, and opponents, in which my swimmers learn the importance of winning with humility and losing with grace.”

Immaculate Heat Academy has done a lot of winning in recent years. During the 2023-24 season, Kunnapas led the team to its 25th Bergen County title and its 27th state championship trophy.