Walker Thaning Promoted to Head Coach at Rollins College 2 Weeks Before NCAAs

Two weeks before sending five athletes to the 2024 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships, Rollins College has named Walker Thaning as the program’s new head coach.

He has been serving as interim head coach since mid-season when former head coach Julianne Lehner “stepped down from her position to focus on her growing family at home.”

Lehner was named Rollins Coach of the Year in 2022 after the team qualified its most-ever athletes for the National Championship meet and sent its first-ever relay to NCAAs. She was interim coach for the 2019-2020 season before being promoted to head coach.

In her time at Rollins, she coached the first pair of NCAA DII National Championship titles in Rollins swimming history, SSC Swimmer of the Year, and was named Rollins SAAC coach of the year on 2 occasions. Rollins swimmers were named NCAA All-Americans five times during her tenure.

“It is with mixed emotions that I step away from my position at Rollins,” remarked Lehner. “I am extraordinarily proud of the academic and athletic success of the swim program during my time here, and the lifelong connections with colleagues and student athletes made along the way. I ultimately need to focus my attentions to my family at home. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Rollins community, and wish the program continued success in the future.”

In Thaning, the team gains a head coach with a lot of experience with the program.

Thaning joined the Tars in June 2021 after serving as a volunteer coach from 2019-2021. In his time as an assistant coach, Thaning helped guide Harold Lockhart to two national titles in the 500 and 1000 freestyle, and Beatriz Olivieri to All-American status in the 200-freestyle in 2022.

He also helped Chance Ricca and Olivieri bring home honorable mention All-America accolades that year. The following year, Thaning assisted Luke Dinges (200 butterfly) and Jill Hughes (1650 freestyle) to Second Team All-American showings.

This season, he helped the Tars break 13 school records, and three swimmers from the men’s teams were recognized as All-SSC, with William Slowey and Luke Dinges earning spots on the second team, and Seth Basinger being named to the third team.