Courtesy: Yale Athletics
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Joey Reilman, the University of Tennessee record holder in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, is joining Jim Henry‘s staff as an assistant coach. Reilman spent the 2021-22 season as a volunteer assistant coach for Tennessee.
“We are extremely excited to have Joey joining the Bulldogs,” said Henry, Yale’s Robert J.H. Kiphuth Coach of Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving. “He brings with him a championship mindset and commitment to excellence both in the classroom and pool. His ability to connect with student-athletes is phenomenal. As a former NCAA Elite 90 recipient and SEC Champion he will be an outstanding role model and mentor. We can’t wait to have him on campus.”
In his season on Tennessee’s staff, the Vols’ women’s team captured the SEC championship while the men were runners up. Reilman worked primarily with the middle distance and backstroke groups.
“I am incredibly excited to be joining the Yale Swimming and Diving family,” Reilman said. “The culture that Jim and his staff have created is impressive, and I am looking forward to serving the program as it continues to pursue academic and athletic excellence while fostering a positive student-athlete environment. Go Bulldogs!”
Reilman, who swam for the Vols from 2015-19, was also part of UT’s school record relays in the 400 and 800 freestyles. In total, he holds 16 times as an individual and as part of a relay that rank in the top 10 in Tennessee history. Seven of those marks are in the top two in the record books.
The six-time CSCAA All-American honoree won gold in the 200 backstroke during the 2019 SEC Championships to earn first team All-SEC status. During that same meet, he also brought home silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 100 back and 200 and 400 free relays.
Reilman also exceled in the classroom at Tennessee. He was the 2019 recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the NCAA Championship. In addition, he was an NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship Award recipient in 2021.
Reilman earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 2019 and completed a master’s in systems engineering in 2022.
My son and I had the pleasure of meeting Joey at a Fitter and Faster camp in Ohio, where he was one of the clinicians. He came up in the same LSC as my son, and he was a really great role model for all the kids at the camp. His coaching was age appropriate and fun and he had a great rapport with the kids. He stayed late to answer questions and gave really great advice and feedback. I really love seeing former Central Zone kids do great things in swimming, because it shows my kid all the things that are possible in swimming! Yale is very lucky! Congrats, Joey, best of luck!