BATON ROUGE — Sean Schimmel, an assistant coach at Harvard the past seven seasons, has been named an assistant coach for the LSU swimming and diving team, head coach Adam Schmitt announced on Friday.
Schimmel, a native of Ridgewood, N.J., helped guide the Crimson to four Eastern Intercollegiate Swim League championships, a 58-4 dual-meet record and NCAA top-20 finishes in five seasons. Harvard’s highest NCAA finish during Schimmel’s tenure was 17th in 2002.
“I am truly excited about the arrival of our new assistant coach, Sean Schimmel,” said Schmitt. “His vast knowledge and experience in the sport of swimming is going to not only strengthen our staff but will definitely benefit the entire team. He understands and will continue to press forward the championship mentality of the LSU swimming and diving program while bringing a new dynamic from his coaching.”
Schimmel, under the tutelage of head coach Tim Murphy, proved to be a versatile leader with experience in all events at the Ivy League school. Individually, his expertise led Harvard to 25 All-America honors — first team and honorable mention — and 12 Olympic Trial qualifiers during the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. The Crimson also broke 14 school records during his tenure.
Despite Harvard’s tough academic standards, Schimmel was able to draw and develop several elite athletes, and he hopes to perpetuate that success at LSU.
“I look forward to being a key component in the staff here and trying to help Adam fulfill his vision of being a nationally ranked team,” said Schimmel. “I think some of my experience in terms of recruiting and working with elite athletes is going to help us gain some of the depth that we need to do that.”
That expertise was exemplified when former Harvard standout John Cole took runner-up honors in the 1650 freestyle (14:39.71) at the 2002 NCAA Championships. Cole also placed third in the 500 free (4:16.91) finals.
Last year, David Cromwell received first-team All-America recognition with fourth-place finishes in the 100 and 200 backstroke with times of 46.76 and 1:41.83, respectively.
Schimmel, 37, joined the Crimson staff after serving as the head coach at the Crescenta-Canada YMCA in California from 1998-99. Several swimmers qualified for the YMCA National Championships during his two-year stint.
Schimmel swam at Southern Cal (1987-91) where he later received his bachelor’s degree of arts in communications in 1992. A prominent butterfly and freestyle swimmer, he qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200 fly in 1988.
Before enrolling at USC, Schimmel became a high school All-American in the 50 free and 100 fly and set several New Jersey state records as a member of the New Jersey Wave from 1983-87. Schimmel’s state-record clocking of 1:47.39 in the 200 fly still stands today. After graduation, he served as an assistant coach for the Wave from 1991-92.
Schimmel looks forward to competing in the nation’s toughest league, the Southeastern Conference.
“One of the reasons I am down here is the pure excitement of competing in the SEC,” said Schimmel. “It is such a great opportunity and LSU wants to win. You have great resources, and you are surrounded by people that want to be successful and want to win.”
Schimmel is married to the former, Tricia Starr, and the couple has a two-year-old daughter, Peyton Lilly.