George Washington Director of Athletics and Recreation Patrick Nero has named James Winchester head coach of the GW swimming and diving program.<\/p>\n
“James’ proven track record of coaching, mentoring and developing some of the world’s best swimmers made him an attractive candidate for this position, and we are excited to see what he will do with our student-athletes,” said Nero. “He will bring a passion for the sport and a commitment to excellence while instilling a positive and productive culture as our swimming and diving programs strive to climb the ranks of the Atlantic 10.”<\/p>\n
A two-time NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year Honorable Mention at the University of Utah, Coach Winchester brings 11 years of coaching experience to GW, including time spent on the international circuits coaching Olympians, World Championship qualifiers and World University Games participants.<\/p>\n
“I am truly excited by this opportunity,” said Coach Winchester. “I believe the vision and commitment to excellence here at GW carries across all aspects of the university, and am excited about the tremendous potential of our program. I look forward to developing championship teams that will represent GW at the highest levels in the classroom, the pool, and in the community. More importantly, we will develop and prepare our student-athletes for the rest of their lives, and I’m grateful and eager to work with Director of Athletics and Recreation Patrick Nero and Associate Athletics Director Brian Hamluk in that process.”<\/p>\n
Coach Winchester began his collegiate coaching career at Drury University in 2006, where he served as an assistant on Drury’s NCAA Division II National Championship women’s team in 2007 and D-II Men’s Champions in 2007 and 2008. The former swimming student-athlete at Louisville also worked at the University of New Orleans in a career that has seen him coach more than 40 All-Americans, nine National Champions, and five Top 100 world-ranked athletes, and secure two Top 25 nationally-ranked recruiting classes.<\/p>\n