Staff Directory
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach, Men's Swimming
- Email:
Wright joined the Ohio State coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2023 and was promoted to Associate Head Coach and Director of Recruiting for the men's swimming program prior to the start of the 2025-26 season.Â
Wright is a distinguished swimming coach with over two decades of leadership and performance-driven experience, bringing with him a track record of success at the club, national, and international levels.Â
In his role with the Buckeyes, he is tasked with leading development for aerobic-driven swimmers within the men’s and women’s rosters, specifically focused on impacting 400 IM and distance freestyle performances at Big Tens and NCAAs, bringing his experience in club and national level coaching to elevate Ohio State’s competitive edge on the international stage and contributing to recruiting, training planning, athlete mentorship, and integration of performance programming.
In his time with the Buckeyes, Wright has helped produce multiple Big Ten champions, including Ohio State's first-ever men's 400 IM champion (Tristan Jankovics, 2025), coached athletes to numerous school records and helped athletes to success on the international stage. His accomplishments include coaching:Â Â
- Three individual Big Ten champions
- Sam Campbell - 1650 Free - 2024
- Tristan Jankovics - 400 IM - 2025
- Sienna Angove - 400 IM - 2025
- Two Olympic team membersÂ
- Three U.S. and six Canadian National Team members
- World University Games gold medalist (Mila Nikanorov, 800 Free, 2025)
- 21 NCAA individual qualifiers
- Three First-Team All-Americans (400 IM, 500 free, 1650 free) and one Second Team All-American (200 back)
- Five World Championship team members (three pool, two open water)
Wright has helped the women's team to school records in the 200 back (2024, 2025), 500 free (2025), 1000 free (2024) and 800 free (2025) and the men's team to school records in the 500 free (2024), 200 IM (2024, 2025) and 400 IM (2024, 2025). Wright has also worked closely with Canadian National Team member Tristan Jankovics, and coached him to the Canadian national record in the 400 IM.Â
Wright places a strong emphasis on long-term athlete development, blending high performance with sustainable progression. He is known for building programs that produce consistent results at regional, national, and international levels, prioritizing athlete ownership, technique, and aerobic foundations, especially in events like the 400 IM and distance freestyle, and integrating lessons from open water and pool disciplines to enrich versatility and mental toughness.
Wright’s first exposure to Division I coaching came when he served as an assistant at Georgetown University. From 2010-15, he was Director of Competitive Swimming & Aquatics for the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club in Virginia. In 2015, he became Head Coach and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Clippers, a role he held through 2019. In 2019, he accepted the head coaching position at NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, where he led the program until his move to Ohio State.
Under Wright’s stewardship, the clubs he led achieved USA Swimming Club Excellence recognition, including six years of Gold Medal-level honors. He helped develop swimmers who went on to compete on the Olympic Team, World Championships teams, and Junior World Open Water teams. His swimmers frequently made the U.S. National Team and Junior National Team rosters. Wright has held multiple coaching roles internationally. These appointments include World Junior Open Water, Junior Pan Pacs, and Olympic and World Championship staging camps.
Wright hails from Dayton, Ohio, and maintains deep connections to his home state. He swam collegiately at Asbury University, where he qualified for NAIA Nationals and set school records across his four years. In 2003, he graduated from Asbury with a degree in psychology. A shoulder injury curtailed his competitive swimming, and in his senior year, he began assisting with coaching—laying the groundwork for his future in the sport.
Wright lives in Southwest Columbus with his wife and four kids.
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