Thad Schultz is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Penn State swimming and diving program. A standout swimmer at West Virginia, Schultz[apos]s vast knowledge base spans the club, NCAA and national range. A 22-year coaching veteran, Schultz spent time coaching on the college scene at Clemson and Ohio State before joining the Blue and White for the 2009-10 campaign.
During his time in Happy Valley, Schultz has seen the Nittany Lions women[apos]s team finish among the top-40 twice and the men[apos]s squad has grabbed top-30 finishes each of the past two seasons at the national meet. On an individual level, at least one Nittany Lion has advanced to the NCAA Championships each year and 15 of his pupils have garnered All-America honors on 45 occasions.
Prior to arriving in Happy Valley, Schultz served as assistant coach and senior division leader at SwimMac, one of the nation[apos]s top club programs, in Charlotte, N.C. During his time with SwimMAC, he performed a variety of tasks while working with the Age-Group swim program consisting of over 750 swimmers. During his time in Charlotte, N.C., he coached a number of national qualifiers and worked with three members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and four competitors from the 2004 U.S. Olympic squad. Prior to starting at SwimMac in 2007, he served as Aquatics Director and head coach at Brunswick YMCA in Brunswick, Ga. He oversaw nearly every aspect of a swim program that featured over 50 swimmers.
Schultz[apos]s extensive swimming experience includes collegiate coaching stops at Ohio State (2000-02) and Clemson (1998). With the Buckeyes, he served as an assistant coach, specifically with the men[apos]s program, and helped four swimmers reach the NCAA Championships, three break school records and eight earn Academic All- America accolades. On the recruiting front, Schultz helped sign 15 High School All-America honorees while in Columbus.
His collegiate coaching experience began in 1998 when he was an assistant coach at Clemson University. Working with the men[apos]s and women[apos]s swim programs, he helped lead to eight Tigers to the NCAA Championships, two earn ACC records, 10 break school records and eight earn Academic All-America status. His recruiting prowess also helped the Tigers bring in 22 newcomers that earned High School All-America laurels.
As a collegiate swimmer, Schultz was one of the top performers while at West Virginia. He competed in freestyle, backstroke and IM events, while sitting atop the record books in two individual events and one relay. Schultz held the school record in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM, along with being a part of the school record setting 200 freestyle relay team. He also ranked among the top-five in the 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relays, the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.