Scott Thacker Named New Director of Swimming & Diving

Courtesy of Army West Point Athletic Communications

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Director of Athletics Tom Theodorakis introduced Monday the hiring of Scott Thacker as the brand new Director of Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving. 

Thacker turns into the 11^th head coach in Army males’s swimming & diving program historical past and the eighth head coach in Army ladies’s swimming & diving historical past.

“Scott Thacker distinguished himself throughout the search process through his leadership, vision, and deep understanding of our mission,” stated Theodorakis. “A former collegiate swimmer who competed at the highest level and an accomplished coach with a proven track record of success, he brings a championship mindset and a strong commitment to developing cadet-athletes both in and out of the pool. We are thrilled to welcome Scott and Whitney to West Point and look forward to the continued growth and success of Army Swimming & Diving under his leadership. We also extend our sincere thanks to CSA for its continued support and partnership throughout the search process.”

Thacker, an elite program-builder with a confirmed observe file of historic milestones at each the Division I and Division III ranges, arrives at West Point after a extremely profitable four-year tenure on the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

Before stepping onto the pool deck as a coach, Thacker was a embellished competitor on the highest ranges of American swimming. A local of Virginia, he was a 2005 VHSL State Champion and a three-time YMCA National Champion. At the collegiate stage, Thacker spent 4 years as a standout for the Florida State University males’s swim workforce, the place he was an NCAA Championship qualifier in 2009, a member of a number of FSU relay data, and captured the 2010 ACC Championship within the 100-yard breaststroke. His aggressive profession culminated on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, the place he competed within the 100-meter breaststroke.

“I am incredibly honored to be selected as the next Director of Swimming and Diving for the Army West Point Athletic Association,” stated Thacker. “There is no institution in the world that matches the prestige of the United States Military Academy or its dominance in forging leaders of character ready to serve our country. I extend my deepest gratitude to Director of Athletics Tom Theodorakis and the leadership here at West Point for trusting me with the future of this program. To be given the responsibility of leading this team is a profound privilege, and I am eager to carry the weight of such a position with the humility and dedication it deserves. I look forward to partnering with our administration, our staff, and the entire West Point community as we take this team forward into the next chapter of its continued success.”

Thacker strikes to West Point following a historic 2025-26 season at VMI, the place he orchestrated an entire transformation of the Keydets’ program. During his fourth season on the helm, Thacker guided the lads’s workforce to a 4-3 regular-season file, securing back-to-back profitable seasons. Under his watch, the VMI males broke 10 workforce data, whereas the ladies’s squad shattered an astonishing 20 workforce data and achieved consecutive Division I victories for the primary time since 2014-16.

The season culminated in program-defining postseason performances. At the America East Championships, the Keydet males earned a fourth-place end, the best of the Thacker period, whereas the ladies racked up a historic 159 factors. On the nationwide stage, Thacker certified 11 swimmers for the CSCAA National Invitational Championship, the place the Keydets positioned twenty second general and scored a program-record 148.5 factors. His distinctive management throughout his tenure earned him the celebrated VMI Distinguished Coaching Award, recognizing him because the Institute’s most excellent coach.

Prior to his time at VMI, Thacker served as the pinnacle mentor at Roanoke College, the place he re-established the swim program from scratch in 2017. In simply 4 years, he took the Maroons all the best way to the 2021 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men’s Team Championship, incomes ODAC and All-State Coach of the Year honors. He developed this system’s first Division III All-American, produced 44 convention champions, and completed his tenure with an impressive 66-15 twin meet file. His early teaching profession additionally included extremely profitable management roles with elite membership groups, together with the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club and the Greater Richmond YMCA Tritons.