The nominees for the National Collegiate and Scholastic Trophy were announced today by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The trophy is awarded by both the CSCAA and National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA). It is the highest honor in intercollegiate and interscholastic swimming & diving, and is awarded to the individual who has made "the greatest contribution to swimming as a competitive sport, and as a healthful, recreational activity in the province of undergraduate and scholastic education.”

Steve Collins, Kirk Sanocki and Anthony Nesty are the three finalists. The winner will be selected by CSCAA member coaches and recognized at the 63rd Annual CSCAA College Swimming & Diving Awards on May 6th in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Nominees

Steve Collins, Southern Methodist University

Steve Collins, with a coaching legacy spanning 37 seasons at SMU until 2023, was a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year and an 11-time Conference Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, the Mustangs clinched 17 conference championships and made 35 appearances at the NCAA Championships, achieving 15 top-10 finishes. In 2021, Collins earned a place among the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association's 100 Greatest Coaches of the past century.

Collins's impact extended beyond accolades, guiding 61 individuals to 242 All-America honors and honoring 98 relays. His coaching prowess also transcended borders, with appointments to the Bulgarian staff for the 2016 and 2012 Olympics and leading the Slovakian Olympic Team in four summer games. His swimmers earned medals at prestigious international events, contributing to a total of 373 conference championships and 33 Olympians coached since his arrival at SMU in 1986.

On the domestic front, Collins led the Mustangs to two AAC championships, nine WAC championships, and six C-USA championships, culminating in 17 team championships. His distinguished coaching career was marked by numerous Coach of the Year awards, showcasing his impact at the conference and national levels. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Collins takes pride, along with his wife Toni, an SMU graduate, in being parents to twin daughters, Kate and Hanna.

Kirk Sanocki, Wingate University

Kirk Sanocki, the former head coach of Wingate University's men's and women's swimming teams, guided both teams through an impressive coaching career, overseeing 21 seasons for the women's team and 17 seasons for the men's team. In 2021, the Wingate women secured a sixth-place finish, while the men finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, both teams clinching second place in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference meet. Notably, a program-best 27 Wingate student-athletes were named Scholar All-Americans in the summer of 2021.

Sanocki's coaching prowess extends to the 2020 season, where his staff coached 26 student-athletes to 68 CSCAA All-American swims, and both Wingate teams claimed silver medals in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference meet. In 2019, the Wingate women finished seventh at the Division II NCAA national championship meet, with the men securing 17th place. Sanocki's coaching led Wingate student-athletes to an impressive 534 All-American swims and 44 national championships.

Beyond coaching success, Wingate University, under Sanocki's leadership, has been a perennial recipient of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America team awards. Sanocki, appointed to the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championship Committee in 2019, has also actively contributed to the national swimming community, serving as the president of the CSCAA. Under Sanocki’s leadership, Wingate has played host to a national recognized Special Olympics event annually and received the NCAA Division II Community Engagement Award of Excellence in 2011. He resides in Charlotte with his family, and his daughter Lilly is a junior All-American on the Wingate women's swimming team.

Anthony Nesty, Florida

Anthony Nesty, an iconic figure in Florida swimming, is in his sixth season as the men's swimming & diving head coach, third season at the helm of the women’s swimming & diving and his 24th overall on the Gators' coaching staff for the 2023-24 season. Nesty's leadership has propelled the men's program to 11 consecutive conference championships, earning him five straight SEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year titles. The Gator men secured a sixth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships with four national championships and 42 All-America honors.

Nesty also led the women's program to a ninth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships, securing 16 All-America honors. He was named the SEC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, a distinction achieved by only one other Florida coach in history. Under Nesty's guidance, both men and women excelled academically, receiving CSCAA Scholar All-America Team recognition.

A former Olympic gold medalist and UF alum, Nesty returned to Gainesville in 1998 as a coach, contributing significantly to the program's success. His coaching prowess extends internationally, with achievements like coaching Olympic gold medalists Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke. In September of 2023, Nesty was named the U.S. Men's Head Swim Coach, becoming the first black US head swimming coach at the Olympics. Nesty's impact on Florida swimming transcends championships, fostering academic excellence and producing world-class swimmers, establishing him as a revered figure in the swimming community.

How to Vote

Only CSCAA Member-coaches are eligible to vote. Each member may vote one time and ballots are open from Friday, February 2 until Friday, February 16.

VOTE NOW

About the National Collegiate Scholastic Trophy

The National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy is presented to the coach who, in the estimation of the recipient’s peers, has "the greatest contribution to swimming as a competitive sport, and as a healthful, recreational activity in the province of undergraduate and scholastic education.” The award is presented annually by both the CSCAA and the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA).

Past Award Winners

Fifty-nine different coaches have won the Trophy over the award’s sixty-two years. The recipients include more than two-dozen Olympic coaches. Collectively, the award winners have captured 192 NCAA team titles.

1990 - Hoble Billingsley, Indiana
1989 - Phil Hansel, University of Houston
1988 - John Higgins, US Naval Academy
1987 - Richard Kimball, Michigan
1986 - Donald Gambril, Alabama
1985 - Raymond Bussard, Tennessee
1984 - Jack Ryan, US Military Academy
1983 - Robert F. Busbey, Cleveland State
1982 - Richard E. Steadman, Monmouth
1981 - Charles J. Butt, Bowdoin College
1980 - Gus Stager, Michigan
1979 - Philip E. Moriarty, Yale University
1978 - Jack McGuire, Iowa State
1977 - Peter Daland, USC
1976 - George F. Haines, UCLA
1975 - James E. Counsilman, Indiana
1974 - G. Robert Mowerson, Minnesota
1973 - Ted Webster, Syracuse University
1972 - Alfred R. Barr, Southern Methodist
1971 - Charles E. Silvia, Springfield
1970 - David H. Robertson, New Trier HS
1969 - Robert B. Muir, Williams College
1968 - Soichi Sakamato, Hawaii
1967 - Karl B. Michael, Dartmouth
1966 - Charles McCaffree, Michigan State
1965 - Richard Papenguth, Purdue
1964 - Harold S. Ulen, Harvard
1963 - Dave Armbruster, Iowa
1962 - Mike Peppe, Ohio State
1961 - Matt Mann, Oklahoma
1960 - Robert J. Kiphuth, Yale
1959 - Edward T Kennedy, Columbia

2022 - Peter Hovland, Oakland University 2021 - Nic Askew,Howard University
2020 - Joel Shinofield, CSCAA/USA Swimming
2019 - Eddie Sinnott, Southern Methodist University
2018 - Peter Linn, Eastern Michigan University
2017 - Susan Teeter, Princeton & Kris Kubik, Texas
2016 - Gregg Wilson, UC-Santa Barbara
2015 - Jon Howell, Emory University
2014 - Tim Welsh, Notre Dame
2013 - Matt Kredich, Tennessee
2012 - Ron Ballatore, UCLA/Florida
2011 - Gregg Parini, Denison University
2010 - Gregg Troy, Florida
2009 - Frank Keefe, Yale University, Ret.
2008 - Greg Earhart, Collegeswimming.
2007 - Don Megerle, Tufts University
2006 - Don Gambril, Alabama, Retired
2005 - Frank Busch, Arizona
2004 - Jon Urbanchek, Michigan
2003 - David Marsh, Auburn University
2002 - Teri McKeever, California
2001 - Richard Quick, Stanford University
2000 - David Marsh, Auburn University
1999 - Jean Freeman, Minnesota
1998 - Jack Bauerle, Georgia
1997 - Dr. Samuel J Freas, ISHOF
1996 - Jon Urbanchek, Michigan
1995 - Jim Steen, Kenyon College
1994 - Don Easterling, North Carolina St
1993 - Eddie Reese, University of Texas
1992 - Ernie Maglischo, CSU-Bakersfield
1991 - Nort Thornton, California,