TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Matt Leach has resigned his position as head women's swimming and diving coach to accept a similar position at Washington State.
Indiana State Director of Athletics
Sherard Clinkscales indicated that a national search will commence immediately.
"I want to thank everyone that has helped create this program from scratch," coach Leach said. "President Bradley and Ron Prettyman were instrumental in bringing Katie and I to Indiana State in order to build this program and entrust my vision to come to fruition. President Curtis and Athletic Director
Sherard Clinkscales have been nothing but supportive to the growth of this program and family. Both President Curtis and Sherard are true visionaries and I can't wait to see how the campus and athletic department grow. The best part of the program that I will miss the most will be the people within the athletic department, the people on campus, and the great people that swim and dive for the Sycamores. This program is going to continue to grow and reach new heights and I am so very thankful to have led this group of outstanding young women as they have done so much in such a short amount of time. The swimmers and divers on this program followed a vision of hard work, setting a foundation and being the first in Sycamore history to swim and dive here. Keep growing! Thank you all for being a part of my family and always, Go Sycamores!"
Leach led the Sycamores to a fourth place finish at 2018 at MVC Championship. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year for his team's performance – becoming just the third head coach of a female sport at ISU win that award without the benefit of taking the team championship trophy. Additionally at the 2018 edition of The Samy's, Leach was named the winner of the Duane Klueh Coach of the Year Award.
Leading up to their success at the MVC Championship, Leach led the Sycamores to an impressive 10 wins a row during dual meets. At the MVC Championship,
Blanca Saez-Illobre recorded a time of 2:13.97 in the 200 breaststroke to set a new school record and claim the program's first-ever MVC individual championship.
In Leach's first season leading the program, the Sycamores scored 148 points and recorded a seventh place finish. In just one season's time he improved the Sycamores to a total of 477 points and the fourth place finish. Along the way, the Sycamores broke the school record in every event they competed in.
Out of the pool, Leach saw his team earn CSCAA Scholar All-American honors for the third straight semester, including the highest team GPA in the Missouri Valley Conference. Six student-athletes earned MVC All-Academic honors this past season after five earned the same honor in 2016-17.
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Matt Leach has done a tremendous job leading the Sycamore Swimming & Diving program and is going to be missed." Clinkscales said. "He built this program from scratch and quickly took the Sycamores into the upper half of the Missouri Valley Conference. We will move quickly to find the next head coach to lead this program – which is poised to make even bigger strides in 2018-19."
Leach was named the first-ever head coach of the women's swimming and diving program at Indiana State in July of 2015. He came to the Sycamores from the University of Wyoming where he spent six seasons, including his last four seasons as associate head coach. He's no stranger to the state of Indiana, as the Portland, Ore., native competed collegiately at Indiana University from 2000-04.
He led the program in its first ever season in 2016-17, after spending his first year in Terre Haute to build and recruit the program.
Leach spent six seasons (2009-15) at the University of Wyoming where he worked extensively with sprint swimmers. He helped head coach Tom Johnson to one of the program's best
finishes in school history at the Mountain West Championships, including the Cowgirls' swimming to their four-consecutive top-three finishes and the Cowboys' second place finish at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in 2013-14.
At Wyoming, Leach helped rewrite the Cowgirl record books, as every sprint event school record was broke during his time on staff. He has also coached sprint swimmers to NCAA and Olympic trials competitions. Leach helped lead Cowgirl sprint swimmer Kelsey Conci to the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke and the 50 and 100 freestyle. Conci placed 10th in the 100 backstroke at the 2011 NCAA Championships and ninth at the 2012 championships, becoming the first Cowgirl to earn back-to-back Honorable Mention All-America honors.
He also helped Conci to a 2012 Olympic trials semifinal berth in the 100 backstroke.
Leach helped the Cowboys finish seventh and the Cowgirls finish eighth in the EndlessPools.com Mid-Major rankings in 2013-14. Leach also mentored Morgan Hartigan, as she earned All-MW honors in 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke and sprint-freestyle swimmer Cassie Stelow swam for the Cowgirls at the NCAA Championships in the 50 freestyle in 2009-10.
Leach came to Wyoming from Louisiana State University where he began as a graduate assistant in 2004, and then as a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons (2007-09). At LSU, Leach helped guide several athletes to the NCAA Championships, and a top-25 ranking for both the men's and women's teams. Leach also served as the head age group coach at Tiger Aquatics from 2006-2009. After a short time there, Leach was named the 2007 Louisiana State Age Group Coach of the Year for his efforts in his first season. Earlier in his career, Leach was the head coach of the men's and women's swimming program at Edgewood High School in Ellettsville, Ind.
A native of Portland, Ore., Leach swam in college at Indiana University where he was a four-year letterman and captain. He became a four-time All-American and helped the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Conference Championship in the 200 medley relay as a senior. He also still holds Hoosier records as a member of the 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay. Leach also performed on the national stage, as he took part in the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.
