Wellesley Swimming & Diving Head Coach Bonnie Dix Announces Retirement

Courtesy: Wellesley Athletics

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Bonnie Dix, Wellesley College Head Swimming & Diving Coach and Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics (PERA) Associate Professor of the Practice has announced her retirement following a remarkable 37-year tenure at the helm of the Blue Swimming & Diving program. Dix will officially retire at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year; a nationwide search for Wellesley’s next head coach is already underway.

“I have been incredibly blessed to have had the best job working with amazing student athletes,” said Dix. “I have learned so much from them over the years, both as a coach and as a person. I will miss my time on deck; it has been the highlight of my day for 37 years!”

The longest tenured head coach in Wellesley College athletics history, Dix is a teacher, a friend and a motivator who has inspired student-athletes to be more than they could have dreamed possible for nearly four decades. Dix guided the Blue to 33 winning seasons in 37 years as head coach, including four undefeated dual meet seasons (1993-94, 1999-00, 2000-01, and 2019-20). During those seasons, Dix produced three NCAA Division III National Champions and two New England Champions. In NCAA Championship competition, 56 student-athletes competed in 99 events, with 25 student-athletes earning 33 All-American honors. Her teams won an unparalleled 28 Seven Sisters Championships, including 22 in-a-row from 1998-2019.

“Bonnie has given so much to this program and to the College,” said Bethany Ellis, Director of Athletics and Chair of the Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics. “Most importantly, she has impacted the growth of generations of student-athletes and physical education students who have splashed through Wellesley. Bonnie has given her all to the Blue and her legacy will be felt by student-athletes for generations to come.”

Since the inception of the NEWMAC in 1998, the Blue have won two conference championships under Dix’s leadership, in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Prior to the formation of the NEWMAC, Wellesley won the only swimming and diving championship ever sponsored by the New England Women’s 8 (NEW 8), claiming the title in 1997-98. For her efforts, Dix has been honored by her coaching peers as the NEW 8 Coach of the Year in 1997-98 and NEWMAC Coach of the Year in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2011-12.

Dix holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, where she was a Division I swimmer. In addition, she holds a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, where she was assistant coach and interim head coach. During her tenure with the Volunteers, Dix coached Tennessee’s first Southeastern Conference Individual Champion. During the summer, Dix serves as a guest speaker at various camps and clinics around the nation and abroad.

“I wanted to see the pool renovation through, so that next fall a new coach can walk out onto a beautiful deck and start the next exciting chapter for Wellesley Swimming and Diving,” said Dix of the on-going renovation of Chandler Pool and the future of the program.

“Change can produce anxiety, but more importantly this will be an exciting and invigorating time, an opportunity to create something new, and to build on our tradition of excellence.”