Mercersburg Academy Director of Athletics Rick Hendrickson told SwimSwam today that his legendary swim program was seeking new leadership, as current head coach Pete Wiliams would move into a role as associate coach for at least one year.
Williams has been the head coach at Mercersburg for 25 years, and in that time has coached 11-Olympians as a part of the school’s impressive swimming legacy. Included on that list is SwimSwam’s own Mel Stewart, who won two golds and a bronze at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.
Hendrickson says the school is currently screening applications for a new Aquatics Director/Head Swim Coach. According to the job posting (which can be read in full here), the school is preferring an ASCA Level 4 or higher coach to take over the legendary program: one that began in 1908 and has 24 all-time swimming Olympians among its alumni.
Mercersburg Academy is a small, private boarding school with 430 students from grades 9-12 located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. The school is one of the United States’ most historic secondary instituations, having opened its doors in 1836.
In total, the school has produced 9 Olympic gold medalist, 7 Rhodes Scholars, 3 Medal of Honor Recipients, a Nobel Prize winner, the children of several famous politicians (including president Calvin Coolidge), and many other famous people from across the spectrum.
Williams is the second long-time coach of a legendary Northeastern prep school to move into this sort of reduced role in the last month. Germantown Academy’s Dick Shoulberg took the title of “coach emeritus” role in December.