The St Peters Western Machine Shined at Summer Champs; Dean Boxall Overseeing a Juggernaut
The Pan Pacific Championships were over for less than an hour and Dean Boxall sat alone in the stands of the William Woollett Aquatics Center. The Australian coach – who oversees the high-powered program at St Peters Western – barely had a voice, his vocal cords strained from the constant support he doled out to his athletes during the four-day competition in Southern California.
Boxall isn’t the type who passively digests a competition. He yells. He waves. He jogs along the deck. It is all part of his passionate investment in the St Peters Western program, and the massive impact it has on maintaining Australia’s presence as a global superpower in the sport. So, when Pan Pacs wrapped up, it wasn’t a surprise that exhaustion defined Boxall’s state. This is a man who pours every ounce of energy into his job – and the results show.
The Pan Pacific Championships marked Australia’s second major competition of the summer. The four-day meet was held on the heels of the Commonwealth Games, which unfolded just two weeks prior in Glasgow. Between the two competitions, St Peter’s troops captured more than 40 medals (that total is accurate), with 15 athletes racing at Pan Pacs. That total accounted for 34% of the Australian roster, a remarkable percentage.
Lani Pallister. Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
From Ariarne Titmus before her retirement to Mollie O’Callaghan and Lani Pallister as the current headliners of the group, Boxall has turned St Peters Western into the centerpiece of Australian swimming. Each day, his athletes show up, and grind through their mentor’s workouts. The setting undoubtedly instills competitiveness, an air that promotes preparedness and can’handle-anything mentalities. There is a deep sense of pride in what is pursued and accomplished on a daily basis.
“I have a philosophy that you need to have a competitive environment to promote performance,” Boxall said in an exclusive interview with Swimming World. “I think that’s very important, but you have to be careful as well that it doesn’t get too deep. The dynamics of the group is important and how you manage it is a challenge. You have to monitor what you have.”
What Boxall has is a special group, and one that is growing in power with each passing day. While Titmus was the club’s face during the height of her Hall of Fame career, SPW has emerged as a worldwide presence for what it produces in both top-tier talent and depth. Proof? Well, Pallister won six individual titles between Commonwealths and the Pan Pacific Championships, including triumphs over Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky at Pan Pacs. O’Callaghan is an Olympic champion and while she had to withdraw from Pan Pacs due to a back injury, the multi-time world champion is expected to be a major factor at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Wait, there’s more. Jamie Jack medaled in the 50 freestyle at both major meets, and Jenna Forrester took her latest steps as one of the world’s elite medley swimmers. Kai Taylor is clearly a linchpin of Australia’s future, while Ben Goedemans is a burgeoning distance standout. The list goes on, and reflects an atmosphere that breeds success, even if this year might have been a touch reserved compared to the gauntlet that was 2020-2025.
“I thought this year was quite a relaxed year,” Boxall said. “We’ve been going full bore since that Covid year, because Covid was a funny, weird and complex time. There was anxiety with the athletes, and they were pushing for Tokyo, and then directly after Tokyo, you were pushing for the World Championships in Budapest and the Commonwealth Games. Fukuoka came right after, and then it was to Paris. You didn’t feel like there was a break or rest. Paris comes and right after, there was a World Championships the next year. It was a lot.”
Consequently, Boxall and assistant coach Mick Lewandowski gave their athletes what they believed was the right training fit. Obviously, the formula clicked. The world rankings are stacked with St Peters Western swimmers, and Pallister – in her 18 months with the program – has etched herself as one of the sport’s biggest stars.
“I think Dean is probably one of the most creative people you will ever meet,” Pallister said. “The way he can make you hurt in training is second to none, which is just what you need as an athlete when you’re chasing greatness.”
More than a month away is never easy, but the St Peters Western crew undoubtedly handled the challenge, racing at an elite level from Europe to North America. Down Under, they’ll soon return to work, the back half of the Olympic Quad here, and action in SoFi Stadium calling. There will be a World Championships next year, a dress rehearsal for LA28. As those meets approach, count on Boxall carefully plotting his gameplan for the return to SoCal.
St Peter’s athletes will be prominent attendees.
“The difference this year is that there has been a little bit of a break, the chance to watch things a bit more and check some things off,” Boxall said. “I think it was important to take in what was noticed and now we can go. Next year is very important to start putting the chess pieces on the board and make sure we get things in place.”
St. Peters Western Athletes at Pan Pacs
Jacqueline Davison-McGovern
Lizzy Dekkers
Jenna Forrester
Hannah Fredericks
Matthew Galea
Ben Goedemans
Jamie Jack
Milla Jansen
Bailey Lello
Mollie O’Callaghan
Lani Pallister
Brendon Smith
Kai Taylor
Amelia Weber
Elijah Winnington