Holly Vargo Brown – A Key Piece of Buckeyes’ Championship Tradition
6/13/2023 10:00:09 AM | Artistic Swimming
COLUMBUS, Ohio – There are few coaches in college sports who have been a part of as many national titles as Ohio State synchronized (artistic) swimming head coach Holly Vargo Brown. During her time as both a student-athlete and coach for Ohio State, she has helped the team to 27 of its 34 national titles while also playing an important role in the growth of the sport nationally and internationally.
Vargo Brown’s Buckeye career began as a student-athlete on the team from 1981-84. During that time, she was an All-American and swam for the 1982 and 1983 U.S. Collegiate championship teams. A four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and physical education graduate, she was the recipient of the Melvin and Irving Schottenstein Post-Graduate Award, which was first designed specifically to recognize and promote women’s achievements in intercollegiate athletics at The Ohio State University.
Following her time as a student-athlete, she was named the Buckeyes’ assistant coach in 1986. She served in that role from 1986-90 and took a brief hiatus before returning to the same position in 1993. During her time as an assistant, the Buckeyes won 19 institution titles.
Vargo Brown’s first stint as head coach of the Buckeyes was in the 2004 and 2005 seasons, when she served as the interim head coach while then-head coach Linda Lichter-Witter was assisting Team USA at the Athens Olympics. In 2004, she led the team to its fifth-consecutive national title and earned her first Coach of the Year award.
In 2012, she was promoted to head coach of the Buckeyes, becoming the program’s third head coach. In her time at the helm, she has been named US Synchro Collegiate Coach of the Year six times and has coached 39 individual national champions and 51 All-Americans.
Outside of her experience at Ohio State, she has also competed and coached with international teams. Following her own career as a student-athlete, she went on to have a successful international career. In 1985, she earned a spot on the U.S. National Team II squad. Vargo-Brown’s coaching stints include leading U.S. Olympic Festival Teams in 1987 and 1988 and serving as the assistant coach to the Venezuelan National Team at the 1987 Pan-American Games.
#GoBucks
