William & Mary Director of Swimming Matt Crispino '02 was announced as the head men's swimming & diving coach at Princeton today, following a very successful 12-year tenure at his alma mater.  He will take over the reins of the Tigers from the legendary C. Rob Orr, who retired this spring after 40 years as the Princeton men's coach.
 
"Matt will be sorely missed," said William & Mary Director of Athletics Samantha K. Huge.  "He is a championship caliber coach who led our programs with integrity for more than a decade.  He developed a culture of success within the program that will carry forward even after his departure – and in many ways is the standard for what we are striving to establish across all areas of our department. Our entire community wishes Matt and his family the best as they move into their next chapter in life.  As an alumni, he will forever remain a part of our Tribe."
 
Huge announced that associate head coach Chris Carter will take over as the interim head coach for both men's and women's swimming while the coaching search is conducted.  Carter just completed his seventh year on staff at W&M, and his fourth as the associate head coach.  In 2015-16, he was named the National Rising Assistant Coach of the Year by CollegeSwimming.com.
 
Crispino just completed his 12th year as the head coach of both W&M's men's and women's swimming teams, leading the Tribe to historic heights of success.  Over his dozen years, W&M won seven Colonial Athletic Association Championships, including back-to-back women's titles in 2016 and 2017 and the last five-straight men's titles.  Before winning his team's first championship in 2015, the Tribe men had never before won a conference championship dating back to 1928, while the women had only ever won once before, in 2007.

"I am eternally grateful to have led this program for the last 12 years'" said Crispino. "William & Mary is a special place, and the people here have left an indelible mark on my career and my life. Together we have shared tragedy and triumph and everything in between. My family and I will always consider ourselves part of the Tribe and will continue to support those young men and women in every possible way. I ask each student-athlete to somehow leave the Tribe better off than when he or she arrived. My hope is that I've done that as well. As I eagerly embark on a very exciting journey to Princeton, I want to say thank you to everyone at W&M. It is truly One Tribe, One Family."
 
Overall, Crispino's teams went 159-100 (.614) in dual meets, including 72-45 (.615) for the men and 87-55 (.613) for the women.  His 87 women's wins are the most for any coach in school history, and included a program-record 11 wins in 2017-18.  Meanwhile, his 72 men's victories rank second only to legendary coach Dudley Jensen, who won 170 over 33 seasons.  The Tribe men have had a program-record nine consecutive seasons of .500 or better, including six-straight seasons with seven or more wins, and a 10-1 record in 2017-18.  The teams were also very successful in conference play, with a combined record of 65-38 (.631) against CAA opponents.
 
Crispino is a seven-time CAA Swimming Coach of the Year recipient, winning six-straight men's awards from 2014-19, as well as the 2016 women's award.  He was also named the W&M Alumni Association Coach of the Year in both 2011-12 and in 2014-15, and earlier this month, was awarded the Plumeri Award for Athletics Leadership Excellence.
 
His athletes have been even more successful, winning CAA Athlete of the Year three times, Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championships seven times, and Rookie Swimmer of the Year nine times.  Nine athletes competed at the Olympic Trials, eight in the U.S. and one for Great Britain, and rising senior Colin Wright '20 qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this spring.  Overall, the Tribe won 76 CAA men's event championships, including a sweep of all five relays each of the last two years, as well as 43 CAA women's event championships.
 
The success of Crispino's teams was not limited to the pool deck, but was evident in the classroom as well.  The women's team has won an NCAA Public Recognition award each of the last five years in a row while the men have won three in a row, emblematic of ranking in the top 10% of all Division I swimming teams in the Academic Progress Rate (APR).  W&M has also won 13 CSCAA Team Academic Honors in men's swimming, and 20 in women's swimming during Crispino's tenure.  Individually, five Tribe swimmers have been named to Phi Beta Kappa, including Claire Williams '19 and Nina Lesser '19 this school year.  Williams was also named the CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2018-19, joining Andrew Strait '14 who was the CAA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013-14.
 
Before returning to his alma mater in 2007, Crispino spent five years as an assistant coach at various universities including Colgate, the United States Military Academy, and Florida State.  He was the W&M team captain and Most Valuable Swimmer in 2001-02, capping off a successful four-year career for the Tribe.  Crispino graduated from W&M in 2002 with a degree in government, and earned his master's in physical education from Florida State in 2003.  Crispino married another former Tribe great, Liz Koch '03, in 2008, and the two are the proud parents of Lydia Grace, the late Caroline Mary, and Audrey Kanell.