U.S. Military Academy (Army)

Brandt Nigro was named the Army head swimming coach in the summer of 2019 and enters his fifth year at the helm. Since taking over the reigns, the men's and women's teams have posted a combined 15-8-1 dual meet record, which includes a 6-5 mark against Patriot League opponents. Nigro came to West Point after a two seasons at NC State as an assistant coach for the swimming and diving teams. His primary responsibilities included working with the sprint freestyle and stroke events. He also served as recruiting coordinator for the men's program. Both the men's and women's teams enjoyed tremendous success during the 2018-19 season as the Wolfpack men and women swept the ACC Championships team titles, with the Pack men winning their fifth straight conference crown. The Wolfpack women won a total of 11 event titles at the conference meet, setting the program record for the most single-season conference titles. The men picked up a total of 17 podium finishes, including five gold medals. Coleman Stewart was honored as ACC Meet Co-MVP after racking up two individual titles and breaking a pair of ACC records. At the 2019 ACC Women's Swim & Dive Championships, Nigro helped mentor the 200 freestyle relay squad to an ACC Title and an ACC Record while posting the second-fastest time in the country with a time of 1:26.15 - each member of this relay split 21's for the Wolfpack. Both teams went on to tie program-best finishes at the NCAA Championships as the women placed seventh and the men secured their fourth team trophy and podium finish in a row with their fourth-place finish at the national meet. For the men, senior captain Andreas Vazaios won a national title in the 200 butterfly. At the women's NCAA Championship, Nigro guided sprinter Ky-lee Perry to 2 A Finals (50 freestyle & 100 freestyle), a first for a Wolfpack female sprinter. In addition, he helped coach several relays to program records and all-time high finishes - 200 freestyle & 200 medley relays. Nigro also aided swimmers to several international meets, highlighted by Perry earning gold medal in the 50 LCM freestyle at the World University Games in Napoli, Italy. Additionally, his swimmers competed internationally at the World Championships, Pan American Games, Pan Pacific Games, and Central American Games. The 2017-18 season was highlighted by N.C. State’s first NCAA Individual Swimming Champion since 2006 as Stewart won the 100 backstroke at the national meet. Anton Ipsen (1,650 freestyle) and Andreas Vazaios (200 butterfly) also captured first-place finishes at the 2018 NCAA Championships, giving the Pack three individual titles for the first time in program history. The Wolfpack’s relay teams set NCAA, U.S. Open, and American records to win both the 800 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. The five titles and 31 All-America performances led N.C. State’s men to their third straight fourth-place finish. The finish capped off another successful season during which the Wolfpack men became ACC Champions for the fourth year in a row, led by ACC Most Valuable Swimmer Ryan Held and ACC Men’s Swimmer of the Year Andreas Vazaios. The Wolfpack won four of the five relay events and 10 of 13 individual races the 2018 Men's ACC Swimming & Diving Championships. In total, while at N.C. State, Nigro had a hand in coaching the Wolfpack to a total of 112 All-America citations between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He additionally was a member of the staff that coached N.C. State to a program-record five event wins, including three individual national titles, at the 2018 NCAA Championships. In addition to the Pack's three team wins at the ACC Championships over the course of the past two seasons, Nigro has been a part of 32 event titles at ACC Championships in that span of time. Nigro also had a hand in coaching Wolfpack Elite, the Post Grad/Pro group training out of N.C. State. With Wolfpack Elite, Nigro had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the sport such as Cullen Jones, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Simonas Bilis, and Christopher Reid to name a few. "We are thrilled to have Brandt taking over our swimming programs," Buddie said. "Everyone we spoke to about Brandt had great things to say about his work ethic, character and that he is a rising star in the sport. I am looking forward to following our cadet-athletes' success under his leadership." Prior to his two years in Raleigh, Nigro had three successful seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall and UMBC. The 2016-17 season saw Nigro help Marshall to its most successful season in program history. The Thundering Herd women's team scored a program-record 724 points at the Conference USA Championships to finish third. Nigro, who served as the primary coach for the sprint and backstroke groups, guided Sirena Rowe to the 2017 NCAA Championships. Rowe, the 2017 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, was the first Marshall swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2005. In addition, Marshall swimmers set 11 new school records, six pool records, and 10 NCAA B standards. The Thundering Herd also set high marks in the classroom, earning the nation's fifth-highest GPA. Prior to Marshall, Nigro coached the UMBC men's and women's swimming and diving teams to back-to-back conference championships in his two seasons in Baltimore. He was a part of the 2015-16 CCSA Men's Coaching Staff of the Year and the 2014-15 America East Women's Coaching Staff of the Year. In those two seasons, 18 school records and eight conference records were set. The team was led by Emily Escobedo, who earned NCAA All-American honors in the 200 breaststroke. While at UMBC, Nigro also served as the head senior coach of the Retriever Aquatic Club. At RAC, he guided the club through USA Swimming's Club Recognition Program, helping it to achieve Level 4 Recognition, the highest level for USA swim clubs. He also coached multiple Junior National/Futures qualifiers, Academic All-Americans, and Maryland Swimming Senior Champions. From 2014 to 2016, he served on the staff of USA Swimming's Eastern Zone Select Camp. Nigro, a native of Bristol, Conn., began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant on the staff at Wesleyan University. He also coached extensively at the high school and club levels in Connecticut. Nigro worked as an assistant coach with the Cheshire YMCA Sea Dog Swim Club and served as head coach of Brookfield High School Girls Swim and Dive team, winning a Southwest Conference championship in 2012. Nigro is an ASCA Level 4 certified coach. He was selected to the ASCA Fellows Class of 2016 and interned at the Sprint Salo Swim Camp at the University of Southern California. A former student-athlete at the College of Charleston, Nigro was a member of the 2003 Southern States Conference Championship team. He graduated with honors in 2005 with a B.A. in Political Science. In 2009, he graduated with honors from the University of Hartford with an M.S. and Sixth-Year Certificate in School Psychology. While in Connecticut, he worked as a state and nationally-certified school psychologist.

Kelly Lennon is in her third season with Army after joining the program as an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. Lennon comes to the banks of the Hudson after pursuing a master's degree in sport administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her time with the Tar Heels, she served as a graduate assistant of athletics administration, helped with the event management staff and worked as a graduate teaching assistant. Prior to her stint in Chapel Hill, Lennon interned with the America East Conference for the 2018-19 competition year. She participated in calls with groups such as the student-athlete advisory committee advisors, business officers, senior women administrators and athletic directors. Additionally, she helped to plan and executive the America East Healthy and Safety Summit, assisted with expansion of the America East Alumni Network and helped to develop a rollout of the Better To9ether mental health initiative. Lennon brings plenty of coaching experience to West Point, having served as an assistant at Merrimack College and an age group coach at SOLO Aquatics. She was a decorated student-athlete at the University of Vermont, where she swam from 2014-18. A three-time America East All-Conference honoree, she was named the America East nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year in 2018 and earned the UVM Athletic Department's Jeff Stone Memorial Award during her senior season. In her role with the Black Knights, Lennon will primarily work with the distance freestyle swimmers. Beyond the pool deck, she will bring her experiences to help enhance the dryland program within the newly- updated Army West Point Swim & Dive Dryland/Crossfit Center. She currently resides in Highland Falls.

Hannah Saiz joined the coaching staff in September 2023. Saiz comes to West Point after spending the 2022-23 season at Boston University as an Associate Head Coach. While at Boston University, Saiz managed all aspects of recruiting. She also scheduled and ran JR Day for 50 prospects and family members. Also, two individuals on the team registered three NCAA B cuts. The team also set five new team records. Saiz ran the Boston University swimming and diving program for three months after Head Coach Bill Smyth retired. There Saiz oversaw recruiting, alumni engagement, academic support, and programming duties. Prior to her stint at Boston University, Saiz was the Head Coach and Aquatics Director at St. Norbert College Swim and Dive program. At St. Norbert, both the men's and women's programs tied the highest-ever team finishes, including six individual, five relay championship titles, and one conference record. They also had the highest amount of individual women's finishes (second) and relay finishes (second). St. Norbert set 31 team records, many of which were set in Saiz's first season. Saiz also had a stint at Kenyon swimming and diving where she was the Interim and Volunteer Assistant Coach from 2017-2019. While at Kenyon, Saiz worked directly with the sprint group; helping increase performance (fourth and ninth-place finishers from the 2018 season set a new NCAA record). She also recruited competitive prospects with top-tier educational capabilities and athletic potential. In 2018-19 Saiz was the head coach and founder of SERF Swimming, a community aquatics program based on the Kenyon campus. At SERF Swimming, Saiz designed and implemented water and land programs and maintained an effective social media presence to promote and grow the program. Saiz also was the Head Swim Coach at Mount Vernon (Ohio) High School for two seasons (2017-19). While at Mount Vernon High, Saiz mentored and supported student-athletes of all levels and abilities, fostering relationships between teammates and a culture of success and student-athlete well-being. From September 2020-22, Hannah was a council member of the USA Swimming Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council. Saiz was also an Athlete Representative with the USA Swimming Safe Sport Committee from September 2017-18. Saiz earned a bachelor's degree in English from Kenyon with an emphasis in creative writing.

Connor Dorff joined the coaching staff in July 2023. "I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Army swim and dive staff," Dorff said. "The competitiveness, camaraderie, and humility amongst the athletes and the coaches is truly inspiring and everything I've wanted in a team. It's an honor to be coaching at West Point, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us." Dorff comes to the banks of the Hudson after a one-year run as a Volunteer Assistant Coach at Duke University. During the 2022-23 season, where five Blue Devils improved their scores. While at Durham, he also guided three student-athletes to the ACC Platform Finals and the NCAA Championship. While at Durham, he was also the Age Group Elite diving coach at the Duke Diving Club. Dorff led 20 athlete elite diving program, where nine out of 11 athletes qualified for the Summer 2023 USA Diving Zones. He also had seven athletes participate in the USA Diving National Championships. "I am excited to have Connor join our staff! He's got great experience at every level - both college and club! He's worked on the developmental side of the sport while also coaching some of the top divers in the NCAA! Everyone I spoke to about Connor spoke highly of his coaching skill set, but more importantly, his ability to connect with, educate, and inspire his athletes toward their potential. He'll fit in nicely with our staff and continue to build our Diving program into one of the best in the NCAA! Go Army!!" – Head Coach Brandt Nigro Prior to his time at Duke, Dorff spent a season as Head Diving Coach at St. Bonaventure University. The Bonnies saw the men's diving program set new diving records at the 1M and Platform events. In 2022, Dorff was named the Atlantic Ten Diving Coach of the Year. While at St. Bonaventure, he had two student-athletes named Atlantic 10 Conference Champions. They also had two Student-Athletes qualify for the NCAA Zones and had one athlete reach the finals. From 2017-2021, Dorff was the Head Diving Coach at Northern Michigan University. At Northern Michigan, he recruited and built six Zone and NCAA qualifiers. Also at Northern Michigan, he increased divers' average degree of difficulty level by 2.0 points. Dorff also made a stop at St. Lawrence University from 2015-17 as Graduate Assistant Diving Coach and Coordinator. At St. Lawrence University, he coached their first diver to compete at the NCAA finals since 1989. In his eight years of coaching, Dorff had 29 athletes appear in the NCAA Zones and NCAA Championships at the Division I-III levels. He also had one athlete compete in the 2021 Junior World Championships. Dorff dove collegiately at Dennison University in Granville, Ohio, where he was on the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship teams. He was also named Academic All-American and was the team captain in 2015. Dorff graduated with a BA from Denison University in 2015 and earned his Master of Education from St. Lawrence University in 2017. He is USA Diving certified coach and has certification in NCAA Recruiting. He is also certified in USLA Open Water Rescue.