Sullivan joins the Sycamores on August 1, 2024 as the Associate Head Coach and comes to Indiana State by way of Illinois State University where he served on the Redbirds coaching staff since 2021. Sullivan served as the sprint coach from 2021-2023, before taking on the role of interim head coach over the 2023-24 season.
Over Sullivan's first season with the Sycamores, Indiana State just recorded one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Sycamores won the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championships scoring a program-record 1,440.5 points in claiming the first MVC Championship in program history. The Sycamores trailed by 10 points heading into the conference final day, but strong performances in all events, including five individual event winners and the 400-yard Freestyle Relay title guided the Sycamores to the 109.5-point win over Southern Illinois (1331) to take the team title.
The Sycamores continued their postseason success this spring as Indiana State posted its highest finish in program history at the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA)'s National Invitational Championship. Indiana State finished ninth overall at the CSCAA NIC accumulating 334 points. A program-record 14 Sycamores finished inside the Top 20, advancing to either the A-Final or B-Finals over the three days including Top Five finishes in the 1000 Free (
Erin Cummins), 1650 Free (
Claire Parsons), and 400 Free Relay.
Over the 2023-24 season at Illinois State, Sullivan oversaw all aspects of the program including writing and executing all in-water workouts and training plans for every swimmer. The work paid off as the Redbirds set four school records, including the Missouri Valley Conference record in the 400-yard Medley Relay. He also coached two athletes to NCAA B cuts marking the first time in program history that two athletes achieved the standard in the same season.
During his time as an assistant coach with the Redbirds, Sullivan was the primary coach for the 10-athlete sprint group that featured multiple elite athletes including 2023 MVC Swimmer of the Year Madyson Morse. Over the three seasons, he helped coach the team to 14 school records and the highest team conference finish since the 2014 season when Illinois State took home second place at the 2022 MVC Championships.
Sullivan gained national recognition at the 2023 World University Games after representing Team USA as an assistant coach selected by USC men's and women's associate head coach Peter Richardson and Fairfield Head Coach, Jacy Dyer. Sullivan was joined by Morse as the team earned seven medals overall at the games held in Chengdu, China. He was also named as assistant manager for USA Swimming's 2022 National Diversity Select Camp and manager for the 2023 Central Zone Select Camp.
Prior to his time at Illinois State, Sullivan worked with the Glenbook Swim Club and Glenbrook Aquatics in Glenview, Ill. He was the lead assistant for the top senior group that included Olympic trail qualifiers, junior national qualifiers, high school, and club state champions, and Speedo sectional champions.
Sullivan received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Occidental College in 2016 and was an all-conference swimmer and former school record holder for the Tigers.
