Babson College Associate Athletics Director Kirsten Clark and Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities and Recreation Andy Dutton announced that Kristy Martin will take over as the head men’s and women’s swimming & diving coach, effective August 1. Martin replaces Rick Echlov, who retired in March following over three decades at the helm of both programs.
"We are very pleased to have Kristy take over the swimming & diving programs, as she brings a wealth of swimming knowledge to our team from competing at a high level to coaching at established college programs," stated Dutton. "I am excited to see what the future has in store for Babson swimming & diving."
No stranger to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), Martin comes to Babson following a tremendously successful two-year stint as an assistant men’s and women’s swimming coach at WPI. Martin was responsible for day-to-day training sessions for the distance and individual medley competitors, including out-of-season strength and conditioning workouts for the Engineers, whose teams combined to set 47 school records. Additionally, she assisted with fundraising and recruiting while helping both squads set new records for dual-meet victories during the 2015-16 campaign.
"Kristy is a rising star in the swimming world," said Clark. "It was a challenging task to find someone to carry on Rick Echlov’s legacy, but she is the perfect individual to continue the success of the Babson swimming & diving programs."
Prior to WPI, Martin spent six years as an assistant men’s and women’s swimming coach at Brown University from 2007-13. She was responsible for planning and executing in-season and off-season workouts, fundraising and recruiting, and also was involved in the institution's faculty liaison program and the team’s mentoring initiative.
A 2003 graduate of Indiana University, Martin was a four-year member of the women’s swimming & diving squad. She served as team captain for the Hoosiers during her senior campaign. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Martin qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200- and 400-yard individual medley in both 2002 and 2003. Additionally, she earned All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2002 and qualified for the 2002 Olympic Trials.
“I would like to thank Andy Dutton, Kirsten Clark and Josh MacArthur for this amazing opportunity,” said Martin. “I would also like to thank everyone who served on the hiring committee, as they demonstrated how special the Babson Athletics culture is and how important the staff is to one another.
I'm excited to join the department and carry on the traditions established by Rick Echlov, and further build a program which will not only be competitive in the NEWMAC but will be represented academically and athletically on the national level. Babson has a great athletics history, and I feel fortunate to step into a program that has the potential to develop student-athletes to achieve at the highest level.”
In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, which includes a two-year stint as an assistant coach at MIT from 2005-07, Martin has an extensive background working with youth swimming. She has been a full-time assistant coach with the Greenwood Swimming Club in Worcester since 2013, and served as the head boys and girls varsity swim coach at Martinsville (Ind.) High School from 2003-04.
