University of North Carolina Adds Andrew Eckhart As Assistant Coach

The University of North Carolina swimming program has hired Andrew Eckhart as an assistant coach, the school announced Wednesday.

Eckhart fills one of two vacant coaching roles with the team, as associate head coaches Jack Brown and Javi Sossa both departed the program in recent months. Brown accepted the Wisconsin head coaching job in May, while Sossa’s next move is unclear.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Andrew and his family to Chapel Hill,” head coach Mark Gangloff said in the university’s press release. “Andrew has played a pivotal role in shaping the Sarasota Sharks into one of the nation’s premier club programs, consistently ranked among the Top 10 and highlighted by the development of world-class athletes such as Summer McIntosh. His proven track record in athlete development and his extensive relationships across the club coaching community will strengthen our program as we continue to pursue excellence and attract the best swimming talent to Carolina.”

Eckhart comes to Chapel Hill following a six-year stint with the Sarasota Sharks. He served as associate facility director and head age group coach before being promoted to associate head coach in 2024. He found success with all of his groups, as his swimmers earned multiple LSC Age Group Championships, LSC Senior Championships, and Futures Championships. Most notably, he coached U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers in both 2020 (1) and 2024, and played a key role in training Tokyo 400 IM silver medalist Emma Weyant.

While working with the Sharks, Eckhart also served as head coach of Sarasota High School from 2018-25. He guided the team to four state titles, and was named the Flrodia Dairy Farmer Coach of the Year on the same four occasions.

Prior to his time in Sarasota, he served as the assistant aquatics director for the Gulliver Schools and a head age group coach for the Gulliver Swim Club in Miami. He focused on coaching the 14-and-under age groups and helped over 30 swimmers achieve Top 10 finishes at the Florida Gold Coast Junior Olympics.

Eckhart coached in Sarasota originally from 2012-16, was the lead assistant coach overseeing the high school and seventh and eighth grade groups for the Sarasota Family YMCA. More than 50 of his swimmers qualified for the Florida State Championships, with many earning top-16 finishes.

Before his time in Sarasota, Eckhart served as a volunteer assistant coach at Florida State during the 2011–12 season. He also worked as the associate head coach of Club Seminole during that period.

Eckhart began his coaching career in Massillon, Ohio, where he served as an assistant coach for the boys’ team at Jackson High School during the 2010–2011 season. He also coached at Paul and Carol David YMCA, where he coached worked with all age groups.

“I want to thank Coach Gangloff and Carolina for this wonderful opportunity,” Eckhart said. “I’ll always cherish my time working at the prep and club level. The relationships we built during that time will be long-lasting. But, when this opportunity presented itself, I knew it was the right thing for me and my family. I’m excited about this new challenge, especially with a prestigious program like Carolina swimming, and I can’t wait to get to work with the talented young men and women in the program.”