Mark Sowa Named Head Women’s Swimming Coach at Wagner

STATEN ISLAND, New York, September 9. MARK Sowa has been named Head Women's Swimming Coach at Wagner College, Director of Athletics Walt Hameline has announced. Sowa comes to Wagner from Harvard University, where he served as Assistant Men's Swimming Coach.

Sowa arrives at Wagner with 10 years of coaching experience in which he was a part of eight championship teams. During his career, he has worked with athletes ranging from the pre-competitive to Olympic levels and also possesses extensive collegiate and international coaching experience. At the collegiate level, he has worked at institutions affiliated with the Ivy League, the Atlantic 10, and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Sowa spent one year at Harvard where his responsibilities included recruiting, evaluating and contact of all prospective athletes. Prior to his stint at Harvard, Sowa was on the staff of the University of Maryland from 2004-2005. At Maryland, he was in charge of mentoring middle distance and stroke groups and helped develop three NCAA honorable mention All-Americans, two ACC individual champions, and three school record holders. He also helped the women's team to an 11-0 dual meet season and a 12th-place national ranking. In his final two months at Maryland, he served as interim head swimming coach, where he focused mainly on alumni relations, athletic department administration duties and recruiting.

"We are excited to have attracted a coach with such impressive experience and credentials," said Hameline. "I am confident that Mark will do a tremendous job in leading our swimming program."

Sowa also served for three years as Assistant Women's Swimming Coach at the University of Richmond, where he helped lead the Spiders' swimming and diving team to three Atlantic 10 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. Sowa began his college coaching career as an assistant at Brown in 1999 and spent two years with the Bears.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help lead the Wagner College swimming program to another level," said Sowa. "I'd like to thank the Wagner administration for placing their faith in me and I am excited about the future of Wagner swimming."

At the international level, Sowa was an assistant coach at the Pan American Games Swimming Championships in July, 2007 where he coached the largest Bahamian contingent in their country's history, including the bronze medal-winning women's 400 medley relay team. At the club level, Sowa was Head Senior /Competitive Coach for the Barracuda Swim Club team in 2006 and 2007. There, he led the club team to the Bahamas National Swimming Champions.

Sowa is currently a member of the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association, American Swim Coaches Association, Organization of American Historians and American Philosophical Association.

Sowa received his bachelor's degree in history and philosophy from American University (1998) where he graduated Magna cum laude. In 1999, he graduated with a master's degree in American history from Brown University.

Sowa replaces Sean Raffile, who left Wagner in August to accept the head coaching position at Western Illinois University.

Special thanks to Wagner for contributing this report.

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