Brian Thomas has found immediate success in Foggy Bottom since being named George Washington men's and women's swimming and diving head coach on July 12, 2018.
During the 2021 season, the GW men won their fourth Atlantic 10 title in five seasons, boosted by the fantastic debut of Karol Mlynarczyk, who became the first student-athlete to sweep Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer honors at the meet since GW Hall of Famer David Zenk in 2006. Thomas was named Coach of the Year for the second time in three years after his squad piled up 21 medals, including 14 golds, while setting four conference and seven program records to cruise to a comfortable victory.
In 2020, the GW women claimed their first title, showcasing tremendous depth to complete its climb to the top of the team standings. The Colonials claimed nine total medals, including a pair of golds, and were represented in every championship final throughout the week.
The men landed runner-up with Fath repeating as Most Outstanding Performer after claiming seven medals (five gold) and Nachtwey was named Most Outstanding Diver again, as well.
In February 2019, Thomas was named A-10 Men's Swimming Coach of the Year after the team claimed its third straight A-10 title, piling up 22 medals, 14 of them gold, over four days in Geneva, Ohio, to pull away. The Colonials set six A-10 records and 11 new program marks along the way. Moritz Fath was named the meet's Most Outstanding Performer after winning six gold medals, while Peter Nachtwey earned Diver of the Meet honors thanks to a gold on 3-meter and a silver on 1-meter.
The women's squad its best finish at the A-10 Championship by taking second behind Duquesne, improving its place in the team standings for the fourth straight season behind individual gold medalists Emily Zhang, Andrea Moussier and Meghan Burton.
The Colonials finished their season at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship, where the men placed fifth and the women 16th vs. a national field.
Thomas took over the Colonials after two years leading the women's program at fellow Atlantic 10 member St. Bonaventure in which he helped the Bonnies rewrite their record book and climb the conference standings.
"I am thrilled to welcome Brian to GW," Director of Athletics and Recreation Tanya Vogel said. "Both of our programs are well-positioned for future success, creating a search filled with outstanding candidates. Brian rose to the top based on his work at St. Bonaventure where he established a healthy culture for the holistic development of each student-athlete. He presented a strong vision for sustainable growth for our men's and women's programs. With the rapid turnaround of the St. Bonaventure women's program, bolstered by the recruitment of the 2018 A-10 Conference Most Outstanding Performer, he has excelled as a head coach. Brian has coached multiple NCAA Division I qualifiers and All-Americans, and we are excited to watch him lead these programs to the next level."
Thomas orchestrated an impressive turnaround at St. Bonaventure, guiding the squad's rise to fifth place at the A-10 Championship in 2018 after it finished 10th the previous three seasons. The Bonnies were rated the No. 12 most-improved women's team in the nation by SwimSwam.
Boosted by the top recruiting class in the A-10, the St. Bonaventure women set 11 program records, including four relay marks, during the 2017-2018 campaign, paced by a freshman who was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the conference meet. They produced four NCAA B-cut times, 10 meet wins and a conference-leading nine A-10 weekly award winners.
The Bonnies also achieved in the classroom during Thomas' tenure, earning Scholar All-America Team recognition in all four semesters. In 2017-18, the program placed 19 student-athletes on the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, and in the fall of 2016, the Bonnies ranked No. 15 nationally with a 3.57 team GPA.
Thomas was hired at St. Bonaventure in April 2016 after a year as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UNLV, where he coached an NCAA qualifier.
Before that, Thomas was on staff at Western Kentucky for five years, serving as associate head coach for the final two seasons. The Hilltoppers won a Sun Belt title on the women’s side in 2013 and back-to-back Conference USA crowns on the men’s side in 2014 and 2015.
At WKU, Thomas was in charge of a breaststroke group featuring two-time All-American Fabian Schwingenschogl (2014, 2015), and he also worked with 2012 Olympic gold medalist Claire Donahue.
While there, Thomas served on the Kentucky Swimming Board of Directors, the local governing body for USA Swimming, and was involved in a fellowship program with the American Swimming Coaches Association, where he worked on anti-hazing, anti-bullying policies and best practices.
"My wife Danielle and I are absolutely thrilled to join the GW community, and we owe a debt of gratitude to Tanya Vogel and Danya Ellman for this opportunity," Thomas said. "Back in March, we came to D.C. for the Atlantic 10 basketball tournament and happened to walk through campus on our way to the Lincoln Memorial. I was taken aback by the surroundings, and it was obvious that GW provides an experience for its students that can't be replicated anywhere else - I look forward to being a part of that."
A Massachusetts native, Thomas was a four-year letter winner at UConn, qualifying for the Big East Championship in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke. He graduated from the school with a history degree. He and his wife Danielle have two sons, Boomer and Chip.
