Brian Thomas is entering his fifth season on The Hill in 2014-15. Thomas was elevated to associate head coach in September 2013 after serving three years as an assistant coach.
With the swimming program, Thomas works with the team[apos]s freestylers, breaststrokers and IMers. Thomas also serves as the program[apos]s recruiting coordinator, as WKU[apos]s recruiting classes have garnered high praise, including the 2012 men[apos]s class ranking No. 22 in the country by CollegeSwimming.com.
Both the men and women[apos]s team have seen success since Thomas[apos] arrival. In the 2013-14 athletic season, Thomas helped WKU become the first team on The Hill to win a Conference USA Championship, as the men[apos]s team took first at the Men[apos]s Invitational while newcomer Fabian Schwingenschlogl earned Swimmer of the Meet honors. After earning a NCAA automatic qualifying time at the meet, Schwingenschlogl went on to garner All-America honors at the NCAA National Championships with an eighth-place finish in the finals of the 100 breast. Overall, the men and women posted 28 NCAA b-cut times and 17 WKU records in 2013-14.
In 2013, the women[apos]s team claimed the program[apos]s ninth Sun Belt Conference Championship. The Hilltoppers finished second in a close battle with Southern Methodist University in the team[apos]s first year affiliated with C-USA. Within the events he works closely with, those swimmers were responsible for 11 school records and 38 top-five times in 2012-2013.
Outside of the coaching realm, Thomas serves on the Kentucky Swimming Board of Directors, which is the local governing body for USA Swimming. Along with that role, Thomas is involved in a fellowship program with the American Swimming Coaches Association, a program intended to get young coaches involved in governance and leadership within the sport.
The Duxbury, Mass., native came to WKU from New Jersey where he spent a year volunteering with the women[apos]s swimming program at Rutgers University. During that time, Thomas also worked as a Product Specialist for Event Solutions International, a marketing firm based in East Brunswick, N.J.
Prior to his stint at Rutgers, Thomas served as an assistant coach for the men[apos]s and women[apos]s swimming and diving program at his alma mater, the University of Connecticut. Throughout his two seasons at UConn, Thomas was the primary coach for the mid-distance and distance freestylers. During that time, Thomas guided the UConn distance crew to two varsity records, two NCAA [quote]B[quote] cuts and six top-16 finishes in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the 2009 Big East Championship, the most by any school in the conference. In addition to their success in the distance lane, UConn swimmers set twenty-seven varsity records during Thomas[apos] tenure, posting a dual meet record of 28-6 and sending one swimmer to the 2008 NCAA Division I Championships.
In addition to his responsibilities with the swimming and diving program at UConn, Thomas also served as Head Coach and Director of Swimming Operations for The University Aquatic Club in Storrs, Conn., from 2005-2009. Over the course of four years, Thomas guided the USA Swimming club program back to prominence on both a regional and national scale. At UAC, Thomas[apos] athletes enjoyed many achievements including a Connecticut Resident Record, a National Age Group Top-10 time, a Junior National and Short Course National qualifier and numerous Speedo Champions Series qualifiers. Thomas[apos] time at UAC culminated with a top-five combined team finish at the 2009 Connecticut Senior Open.
From 2005-2007, Thomas also served as the Head Coach of the Boys[apos] and Girls[apos] Swimming and Diving Teams at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield, Conn. Thomas[apos] teams at E.O. Smith set several school records, achieved a top-five finish at the Connecticut Class [quote]L[quote] State Championship and compiled a dual meet record of 28-8.
Thomas, a University of Connecticut graduate and four-year letter winner for the Huskies[apos] swimming and diving team, grew up outside of Boston, Mass., swimming for Bernal[apos]s Gator Swim Club under the guidance of former U.S. Olympic Coach Joe Bernal and NCAA All-American Jay Craft.
