Wahl Named Head Coach of Brockport Swimming & Diving Program
Brockport Sports Information Department
SUNY Brockport Athletic Director Erick Hart announced the hiring of Zack Wahl as the new aquatic's director and head coach of the swimming & diving program on Tuesday. Wahl will be responsible for all aspects of Brockport's aquatics program as well as all facets of the swimming & diving team, including recruiting, practice and meet preparation.
"We are excited to have Zack joining our staff," said athletic director Erick Hart. "He has an extensive coaching background and he was also an accomplished swimmer during his undergraduate days. He will be a welcomed addition to the program and we're confident that his knowledge of the sport, his connection to the swimming community in New York State and his drive to succeed will help take our program to new heights."
Wahl comes to Brockport after spending the last three seasons as the head coach at Clarkson University. During his first season at the helm of the Golden Knights, Clarkson set eight new school marks, including three individual swimming marks, one diving score, and four relays. In 2019-20, Clarkson continued to set new standards, and saw an individual victory at the Liberty League Championship for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
"I am honored and thrilled to be chosen as the next Head Coach for the swimming and diving program at Brockport," said Wahl. "I want to thank Erick Hart, Dani Drews, and the rest of the hiring committee for trusting me to take over the team, and I cannot wait to get started working with the student-athletes. This is a huge honor, and I'm looking forward to building the program into one of the best in the SUNYAC. Go Golden Eagles!"
A 2014 graduate of Union College with degrees in both geology and biology, Wahl has spent time at three different institutions as an assistant coach, including Middlebury College (2014-15), Springfield College (2015-17), where he earned an MBA in May 2017, and at conference rival SUNY Geneseo (2017-18). Over the course of that short period of time, Wahl helped coach 22 student-athletes who qualified for the NCAA Championships, including 10 All-Americans. At Geneseo alone, 22 swimmers were SUNYAC Champions and 12 qualified for the NCAA Championships during his tenure.
"Brockport is incredibly fortunate to have Zack join our staff", said Assistant Athletic Director Dani Drews. "The search committee was so impressed not only with his experience and vision for the program, but also the passion and enthusiasm he shared with us. I think he is going to make an immediate, positive impact on our department and student-athletes."
A three-time All-American himself, Wahl was chosen as the Liberty League Swimmer of the Year in 2013-14 and earned CSCAA Scholar All-American honors that same year. At the Liberty League meet in December 2013, he won both the 100 butterfly (51.73) and 200 butterfly (1:57.09) while taking second in the 200 individual medley (1:59.13) and 100 freestyle (48.61). He holds Union College records for the 100 butterfly (49.44), 200 butterfly (1:50.13) and also swam on the fastest 400 medley relay (3:21.93) and 200 freestyle relay (1:23.05) teams for the Dutchmen. Wahl competed at the 2014 NCAA Championships, placing 13th in the 200 butterfly (1:50.35), while also swimming the 200 and 400 medley relays for Union.
The sport of swimming has deep roots in the Wahl family. Zack's twin brother Matt is a volunteer assistant coach at Union College. His younger brother Alec is a senior at Franklin & Marshall and is an All-American swimmer. Zack's father Rob is the head coach of the Webster BlueFins, a USA Swimming team located in Webster, NY.
Additionally, Zack was a two-time United States Master's Swimming National Champion, and a silver medalist in the 100m butterfly at the 2018 UANA Master's Pan-American Championships.
He currently resides in Rochester with his fiancé Marley, who was a former collegiate swimmer at Springfield College. Marley is a Physician Assistant at Rochester General Hospital.