Courtesy: Gannon Sports
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon University has named Milan Medo as the head coach of the GU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard McGuirk announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Medo served as the head coach of the Notre Dame College men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs for the 2023-24 season after being hired in July 2023. Notre Dame, a Division II private school in Euclid, Ohio, announced on Feb. 29, that it would end “in-person academic instruction” after the spring 2024 semester. Katie Cowan had served as Gannon’s interim head coach during the 2023-24 season.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Milan Medo as our next Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach,” Lisa Goddard McGuirk said. “His diversified coaching experience and demonstrated commitment to fostering a positive team culture for student-athletes was evident, balanced by a commitment to competitive excellence. He will continue to build on the solid foundation that has been developed. We would also like to extend our appreciation to Coach Cowan for her willingness to serve as the Interim Head Coach throughout the competitive season.”
“First of all, I would like to thank Lisa and everyone else involved in the hiring process,” Medo said. “It was truly a pleasure going through the interviewing process and meeting everyone. I knew immediately that Gannon was the perfect place for me, and I am happy to be a part of the Golden Knights family.”
Before Notre Dame, Medo had coached as an assistant at the Grand Valley State University (August 2015-May 2017), a graduate assistant at the University of Findlay (August 2017-July 2019), and an assistant coach at Penn State Behrend (August 2019-July 2020).
“I am very much looking forward to meeting all the members of our swimming and diving teams. There is still some time left in the summer, so I will try and see if I can add a few more recruits to our roster before the school year starts,” Medo said. “I will of course also focus on setting up the workout plan, the swim meet schedule for the season, and anything else that will need immediate attention.
“I cannot wait for the season to begin, and I am excited that I was given the opportunity to contribute to the history of this program.”
Beyond the college level, Medo had been an assistant coach at Pirana Sport Club Topolcany in Slovakia (summers of 2015-2018) and at Erie’s Glenwood Park YMCA Branch (August 2020-September 2022) before serving as the aquatics director at the Lakewood Family YMCA (September 2022-June 2024) near Cleveland, Ohio. He also was an assistant coach at Magnificat High School (October 2022–February 2023) in Rocky River, Ohio.
Medo will take over coaching responsibilities for Gannon programs that have fared well over recent seasons. In 2023-24, the GU men’s team finished with a 4-2 dual record and placed fourth among seven teams at the PSAC Championships. The women’s team went 3-3 and placed fifth among 12 teams at the PSAC Championships.
The Golden Knights have also excelled in the classroom. The women’s swimming and diving team led all Gannon athletic programs with a 3.78 grade-point average in the Spring 2024 semester. The men finished third among Gannon’s 10 men’s athletic programs with a 3.59 GPA.
At Notre Dame, Medo guided the women’s and men’s programs while also managing recruiting, accommodation, transportation, inventory, and meet scheduling. During his lone season with the Falcons, he helped Notre Dame swimmers achieve personal-best or college-best times. Medo stressed building a positive and winning culture during his lone season with the Falcons.
Three of his student-athletes set Notre Dame College records. Medo also recruited Juan Nunez, who was voted the MEC Freshman of the Meet at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference-Mountain East Conference Championships.
The Notre Dame men’s team placed sixth at the GMAC-MEC Championships, including a fourth-place finish among MEC teams. The women’s team placed eighth at the GMAC-MEC Meet and finished fifth among MEC programs. Both the men’s and women’s teams had three dual victories during the season.
Medo attended Grand Valley State University where he was a member of the swimming team. In May 2016, he received his degree in physical education with an emphasis on sport leadership and a concentration in sport management. He also minored in business. He then earned his Master of Business Administration at the University of Findlay in May 2019.
As a student-athlete on the Grand Valley State swimming program, Medo earned 19 NCAA All-America honors, became an NCAA Scholar All-American and was named GLIAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Freshman of the Year.
When he was a coach at Grand Valley State, the Lakers won two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) titles on the men’s side and one on the women’s side. In 2016, the women’s program placed fifth at NCAA Division II Nationals while the men took seventh. In 2017, the men’s program took fifth, while the women placed 11th.
While he was coaching with Findlay, the Oilers won back-to-back GMAC Championships (2018, 2019) with both the men’s and women’s programs. During Medo’s only season at Behrend, the men’s team won an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) title, and the women’s program took second place in the AMCC Championships.
Medo is certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association at Level 1 and Level 2. He is certified as an American Red Cross Lifeguard and ARC Lifeguard Instructor, and he is a certified pool operator.
In addition to English, Medo speaks German, Slovak, and Czech.
Where has Medo served as an assistant coach before joining Gannon University?