Priscilla Barletta Named Assistant Coach at Penn State

Photo Courtesy: Twitter, @PennStateSwim

Penn State swimming & diving head coach Tim Murphy announced Tuesday the addition of Priscilla Barletta to the Nittany Lion coaching staff as an assistant coach.

“We are excited and proud to announce that Priscilla Barletta will be joining our staff and the Penn State family,” said Murphy. “Her experience, presence and vision will have an immediate impact for our student-athletes and coaching staff.”

Barletta comes to Happy Valley from the Hudson Valley, as she served as an assistant coach at Army West Point for the last two seasons. She helped guide both the men’s and women’s teams to back-to-back, second-place finishes at the Patriot League Championships, as they posted their highest total scores in the past 16 years. The teams combined for 13 total individual Patriot League Conference Champions, 33 All-Patriot League selections and 42 team records during her tenure. Additionally, four qualified for Open Water Nationals and 13 achieved NCAA standards this past season.

“I am extremely honored and excited to be joining the Penn State family,” said Barletta. “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Tim Murphy and the entire athletic department for giving me this opportunity. Tim and his staff have not only built a competitive program, but they have also created an environment in which student-athletes can achieve their goals both in and out of the pool. I can’t wait to get on the pool deck to start working with the team and continuing to strengthen the legacy of Penn State swimming & diving.”

Barletta primarily coached the distance group at Army. She also served as the program’s east coast recruiting lead, dryland training coordinator, assistant swim camp director and fulfilled a multitude of administrative roles.

Barletta went to West Point after spending the 2016-17 season at the University of Connecticut, where she worked primarily with the sprinters and mid-distance swimmers. In addition to her coaching duties, she was also the recruiting coordinator for the women’s squad. She guided the Huskies to 16 new school records, 14 NCAA “B” cuts and mentored six American Athletic Conference individual champions during the 2016-17 season. Overall, 14 swimmers earned AAC all-conference accolades in 29 different events.

Barletta boasts extensive coaching experience at the high school and club levels, as well. She began her career as the head swim coach for the Crestview Club in New Providence, New Jersey, managing a swim team program for 150 children between the ages of 5-18. In 2013, she joined the staff at New Providence High School as the head swim coach, directing the program in practices, meets and conditioning. The New Jersey-native was tabbed as the 2016 Coach of the Year by the school. Additionally, she spent three years as the assistant swimming coach at Somerset Hills YMCA in Basking Ridge, N.J., assisting over 200 swimmers in competitive activities.

As a student-athlete, Barletta was a four-year letterwinner from 2008-12 at Lehigh Mountain Hawks. She had a decorated career by earning Freshman Swimmer of the Year honors in 2009 and she held the school record in the 200 free.

Barletta graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lehigh in 2012 and earned her master’s in exercise science and physical education from Montclair State in 2016.

The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Penn State Athletics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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