Melanie Margalis Joins Georgia Tech as Assistant Coach

melanie-margalis-
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Melanie Margalis Joins Georgia Tech as Assistant Coach

Olympian Melanie Margalis has been hired as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, the school announced on Wednesday.

Margalis, a gold medalist in the women’s 800 freestyle relay at the Rio Olympics in 2016, has trained for the last year at Georgia Tech after spending the previous decade at her alma mater, the University of Georgia. She joins head coach Courtney Shealy Hart as Olympic gold medalists on the Yellow Jackets’ staff.

“I’m so thankful to Courtney and the Georgia Tech athletic department for this opportunity!,” Margalis said in a university statement. “After swimming for these coaches for the last year, I cannot wait to work alongside them. I always knew I wanted to use my swimming experience to help the next generation and I’m ready to pass along all of my knowledge. I’m so excited for the future of this program and feel extremely grateful that I get to be a part of it.”

Margalis finished fourth in the 200 IM in Rio. She just missed out on the Tokyo Olympics, finishing third in the women’s 400 Individual medley by .12 seconds behind Hali Flickinger and edged by the fast-charging Emma Weyant. She was sixth in the 200 IM. A three-time World Championships medalist, she swam just the 200 free at International Team Trials this spring, finishing 14th. She didn’t compete in either IM event. Though the 30-year-old has not formally announced her retirement, the move to coaching is likely a prelude to that.

“I am thrilled to have Melanie on board with us,” Hart said. “Her elite level experience and passion for swimming will help continue to grow the success of our team. I am very excited to see her impact on our program.”

Margalis spent most of her career guided by legendary Georgia coach Jack Bauerle, who retired last week. A stop in Atlanta is a common step for former Bulldogs: New Georgia men’s coach Neil Versfeld also started his coaching tenure at Georgia Tech after an undergrad career in Athens.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x