Vic Riggs Resigns As WVU Head Coach After 17 Seasons

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18/04/2024 22:36

Vic Riggs has resigned as the head coach of the West Virginia Swimming & Diving programs after 17 years.

Riggs took over as WVU head coach in 2007 and has led the program to plenty of success during his tenure, including coaching 37 swimmers to the NCAA Championships and 15 to All-American status.

“I want to thank Ed Pastilong and Terri Howes for hiring me 17 years ago and giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of WVU Swimming and Diving,” Riggs said.

“I’ve enjoyed my 17 years here, and I am thankful for all the student-athletes, coaches and administrators I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I look forward to watching this program’s continued success. Once A Mountaineer, Always A Mountaineer.”

WVU competed in the Big East Conference for the first five seasons under Riggs, and transitioned to the Big 12 beginning in 2012-13.

At Big 12s, Riggs coached the women’s team to runner-up finishes behind Texas in 2013 and 2018, and the men’s team finished 2nd to the Longhorns six straight times from 2016 until 2021.

WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said: “I want to thank Coach Riggs for his many years of service and dedication to our swimming and diving program. Our program is better thanks to the contributions Vic and his staff have made over his tenure. As we begin our search for a new head coach, I am confident we will have a very strong candidate pool. We have a first-class aquatics center, a strong conference and program that is resourced to compete at a high level.”

In dual meets, Riggs compiled a 57-46 men’s record and 49-74 women’s record during his time in Morgantown, and coached 19 Academic All-Americans, eight Big 12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year and 21 qualifiers for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

A Georgia native, Riggs joined WVU after spending one season as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia in 2006-07. Prior to that, he coached at USC under Mark Schubert, and also had prior experience as the head coach and owner of Gator Swim Club in Gainesville.

This past season, the WVU women finished 6th (out of eight teams) at the Big 12 Championships, while the men finished 5th (out of five teams) following the additions of BYU and Cincinnati.

The Mountaineers had two NCAA qualifiers in 2024, both coming on the women’s side. Mia Cheatwood finished 28th in the 100 breast and 30th in the 200 breast at NCAAs, while diver Abby Sullivan was 42nd on platform.

The school said it is beginning a national search for a new head coach of the combined swimming & diving program immediately.

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