UNC has announced the latest addition to the team’s new-look swimming & diving coaching staff for the 2019-2020 season: former Texas A&M swimmer Allyson Sweeney. She is the 4th full-time assistant that the school has announced for the new staff of Mark Gangloff, who took over the program after the resignation of Rich DeSelm at the end of last season.
Sweeney comes to the program after spending last season as a volunteer assistant at Auburn: another first year staff with a new head coach. The Auburn women finished 12th at NCAAs last year: its best showing in 7 seasons. Before that, she spent a year at Florida Southern, where the men were 4th and the women 18th at NCAA Division II Nationals. Her resume also includes time as the head coach at Lakeland Area Swimming in Florida, and as the head age group coach for the Swim Atlanta Site in Cumming, Georgia.
In her time as a swimmer at Texas A&M from 2009-2014 (including a redshirt season), the Georgia native was a member of 2 Big 12 Championship teams, was a four-time Texas A&M Scholar-Athlete, three-time Big 12 Scholar-Athlete and four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American.
“I am excited that Allyson Sweeney will be joining the Carolina swimming and diving staff,” Gangloff says. “Allyson is a rising star. She works hard and demonstrates a growth mindset. She has worked with and learned from some of the best coaches and programs in the country.
“Not only does Allyson have a strong swimming background, but she also has a master’s degree in kinesiology and experience in strength and conditioning. Combined, Allyson is a perfect fit for our program and will make immediate contributions to the development and execution of our programming. She will also play a critical role in recruiting next generation of Carolina swimmers and divers. All around, Allyson will be a real asset to this program.”
Sweeney joins a swimming staff that currently lists associate head coach Jack Brown, assistant coach Christy Garth, assistant coach Michael Baric, volunteer assistant Hunter Hojnacki, and volunteer assistant Jim Wynne. Brown arrived from Missouri with Gangloff, while Garth and Baric are holdovers from the UNC staff.
Hunter’s last name is Hojnacki not Johnacki. But I bet he will like the potential of the new nickname: “Joh”
Jeah! We’ll try out Joh for the Hoj! Go Heels. Do they have to call Christy Garth ‘mom’ now with all these young guns coming in to the UNC coaching staff?
Look at this brotherly love <3 looking out for little HOJ