Walters begins his seventh season as the men's and women's swimming and diving head coach at Gannon in 2014-15. He needs one victory on the women's side to collect his 50th career dual win.
Gannon has flourished under Walters’ guidance and has risen to one of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s best programs. Thirty-five of the program’s 46 records have fallen during his coaching tenure, including all 23 of the women’s school records. Twelve of the 23 men’s records have been set under Walters’ watch.
A total of 114 Gannon student-athletes have qualified for the PSAC Championships the last four seasons, securing all-conference accolades 45 times. Gannon swimmers were named All-PSAC 25 times at the 2013 conference championships. In addition, 13 Golden Knights have qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships during that four-year time span. The action brought home 11 all-america awards. The program captured three individual gold medals at the 2011 conference championships.
Academically, the Gannon swimming and diving program has been just as good. Gannon swimmers and divers have been named PSAC Scholar-Athletes 61 times and received Division II Athletics Directors Association (DII ADA) Academic Achievement Awards 32 times during the last four seasons.
Katie Joseph and Michael Decsey were both named to the Capital One Academic All-District II At-Large first team last season. Golden Knights have earned Academic At-Large District II honors six times during the last four seasons.
Colleen Harriger became a two-time Academic All-American in 2011-12, being named to the Capital One Academic All-America women’s at-large first team as a senior and the second team as a junior. Diana Rocco earned Capital One Academic All-America women’s at-large third-team status in 2010-11.
Both Gannon teams finished among the top five at the 2014 PSAC Championships with the men taking fourth and the women earning fifth.
Gannon continued its strong success at the 2013 PSAC Championships as the Lady Knights finished third out of 12 teams. It represented the Lady Knights’ best conference finish in school history. The men’s swim team recorded its second consecutive top-four finish by placing fourth out of seven teams.
A school-record 33 student-athletes qualified for the 2013 conference championships. Fifteen Gannon swimmers were named All-PSAC, shattering the previous mark of seven set in 2012. The group earned 25 all-conference honors. In all, both Gannon swim teams broke nine school records and recorded 29 NCAA “B” cut times during the four-day PSAC championships.
In the classroom, 16 swimmers were named PSAC Scholars and three were honored with the DII ADA Academic Achievement Award. The women’s swim team recorded the 14th-highest team grade point average in NCAA Division II during the fall semester and the 22nd-highest team GPA during the spring semester.
The 2012 PSAC Championships were extremely successful. In addition to serving as the host for the first time in school history, the Gannon men’s team recorded the best conference performance in school history with a second-place finish. The women’s squad had their best conference outing since 2009 with a fourth-place finish. Twenty-seven Gannon swimmers qualified for the 2012 championships, equaling the same number for the third consecutive season. Seven student-athletes, a school record at the time, were named all-conference. Both teams performed well during the regular season in dual meets. The women’s team finished 11-6 in dual meets while the men produced a 7-7 dual mark.
The 2012 squads were superb in the classroom. Seventeen swimming student-athletes were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes while another six received the DII ADA Academic Achievement Award. The Gannon women’s team was named a Scholar All-America Team by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The Lady Knights ranked 27th among all NCAA Division II programs with a 3.3 cumulative team grade point average.
Twenty-seven Gannon swimmers qualified for the 2011 PSAC Championships. The women’s team finished sixth at the conference championship while the men placed seventh. Four women and four men were named All-PSAC, led by Luke Curtis’ three individual titles. The Lady Knights won eight dual meets for the second consecutive season, finishing 8-5. The men secured five dual wins for the second straight campaign.
The women’s program placed among the nation’s top 35 for the second consecutive campaign in 2011, finishing 32nd at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Five Lady Knights qualified for the national championships. Rocco became the school’s first five-time All-American, representing three more than any other diver (female or male) in school history. Rocco is also the only diver (female or male) in school history to earn all-america honors in multiple championships.
The men’s program had arguably its best national success in 2010-11, finishing 22nd at the NCAA Division II National Championships and seventh at the conference meet. The Golden Knights’ national recognition came as the result of Curtis’ four all-america performances in the 400-yard IM (sixth place, 3:57.72), the 500-yard freestyle (ninth place, 4:30.20), the 1,000-yard freestyle (10th place, 9:23.74) and the 1,650-yard freestyle (12th place, 15:54.33). The Adelaide, South Australia, native shattered the school record for all-america awards in a single season. No Gannon swimmer, female or male, had previously earned more than two in a single season. Likewise, he was the first swimmer in school history to become an All-American in four different events. Previously, no Gannon swimmer had been an All-American in more than two.
Gannon also showed its ability in the classroom as 16 were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes and 14 received the DII ADA Academic Achievement Award. The women’s squad produced a 3.27 cumulative team grade point average in the spring of 2011.
In 2009-10, 27 Gannon swimmers qualified for PSAC Championships. Both Gannon teams finished sixth at the conference meet while five swimmers earned All-PSAC honors. The dual season was a success as the Lady Knights went 8-2 and the Golden Knights recorded a 5-5 mark.
The women’s program also flourished on the national level in 2009-10, finishing 29th at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Seven Lady Knights qualified for the national meet. In addition, five Gannon student-athletes earned all-america honors. Rocco became a three-time All-American at the time, earning honors in the one-meter diving event. The 200-yard and 400-yard relay teams of Rachel Rzymek, Ellie Hess, Jackie Rzymek and Kaitlyn Bosy earned all-america awards as well. The 200-yard freestyle team placed 12th and the 400-yard freestyle team finished 16th at nationals.
Academically, Harriger was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic At-Large All-District II third team. Twelve swimmers and divers were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes and nine received the NCAA Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award. The women’s team recorded a 3.31 cumulative team GPA during the 2010 spring semester.
Walters immediately made his mark on the Gannon swimming and diving program during his second season at the helm in 2008-09 as 17 school records were broken.
The Lady Knights posted an 8-5 dual record and qualified six student-athletes for the NCAA Division II National Championships. Rocco and Megan Beresford both earned all-america honors in the one-meter and three-meter diving events. The six Lady Knights enabled the squad to finish 23rd nationally.
The men’s team also excelled under Walters, finishing 10-2 in dual meets. Both teams placed fourth at their first PSAC Championships.
Walters has progressed up the coaching ladder, beginning as a student assistant at Edinboro in 2004-05. He moved to Slippery Rock as a graduate assistant at the beginning of the 2005-06 season, but was quickly elevated to the top assistant position in December of 2006. He had served in that capacity until accepting the Gannon head coaching position in July 2008.
Walters was involved in all aspects of the Slippery Rock program during his tenure with the Rock. His duties included implementing training regimens, conducting daily practices, organizing team statistics and information, and recruiting. He coached two NCAA Division II All-Americans, PSAC qualifiers and 10 all-conference swimmers during his coaching career at Edinboro and Slippery Rock.
The Ashtabula, Ohio, native earned PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors all four years during his undergraduate career at Edinboro University and was a four-time PSAC qualifier in the sprint freestyle. He was also an active Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) member.
Walters graduated from Edinboro University with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education in 2005 and received his master’s degree in Sports Management from Slippery Rock in December of 2006.
