After naming an additional four swimmers to the swimming roster yesterday, USA Swimming has announced the coaching staff for next month’s 2024 World Championships in Doha.
Erik Posegay, Abi Liu, and Ken O’Reilly will lead the rosters of seven women and 12 men to Doha. The US will depart on February 5th for training in Doha beginning February 6th, and competition is scheduled to take place from February 11th-18th.
This fall, Posegay was promoted to National Junior Team Director and National Coach after acting as program director for the National Junior Team since March 2022. Prior to arriving at USA Swimming, Posegay worked with the distance and IM groups as an associate head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Posegay’s international coaching experience includes being an assistant for the US at 2015 Open Water World Championships, 2013 Dual in the Pool, and 2010 Junior Pan Pacs. He also was an assistant coach for France at the 2014 European Championships and was the head coach for North Macedonia at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Also leading the US team to Doha is Abi Liu, the head coach of Bellevue Club Swim Team. Liu has served on the US international staff twice. In 2022, she was a coach for the 2022 Mel Zajac Invite. This fall she served as an assistant coach for the 2023 World Junior Championships where the US went on to lead the medal table.
Liu coaches Piper Enge, one of three women left from the roster that was originally announced in November. Enge won bronze in the 50 breast and was 4th in the 100 breast at the World Junior Championships. Enge will compete in the 50 and 100 breaststrokes in Doha.
Ken O’Reilly of Scarlet Aquatics was also named to the coaching staff. This is his first international coaching trip. O’Reilly is the coach of Kate Hurst, one of four swimmers to be added to the roster yesterday. Hurst won the 1500 freestyle at World Juniors this past fall and will compete in the event in Doha.
Great for Abi. She’s a wonderful person and coach.
Do people not like Abi? Downvoters please explain
now I’m curious, I knew of her when she coached in my area but wasn’t aware of any drama and didn’t even know she had moved to Washington
Yeah people can downvote all they want I just wanna hear why!?!?
I knew her to be very intense, and she had an in-group of swimmers that were very loyal to her. This was 10+ years ago, though, so basically ancient history.
It was still that way right up until she moved to Washington.
I suspect most American fans look at this WC as a chance for a ‘new name’ to break out and set themselves up for an Olympic Trials shot. Clearly, TEAM USA is not the full complement of swimmers, but it should still be fun to watch!
I can see why Team USA won’t have a full complement of swimmers. If you are one of the country’s best swimmers competing on the world stage, wouldn’t you want the country’s best coaches there with you?
Has nothing to do with the coaching staff and everything to do with THE meet in June.
Agreed. The staff choices and the timing of the announcement of the staff this late in the game are odd (usually the staff is announced near or at the same time as the team). I wonder if they asked more coaches and they turned it down?
It had to be club coaches or USA Swimming staff. No college is going to let their college coaches disappear for 2-3 weeks in the middle of championship season, even the ones that might let an assistant go to, say, SC Worlds.
I happen to know there are plenty level 5 coaches, that are not NCAA coaches, who were not asked. Why didn’t they ask the coach who pulled his female swimmers?
Why didn’t they ask him what?
Yes there are a lot of ASCA level 5 coaches in the US. They couldn’t ask them all, right?
Liu and O’Reilly are coaches of athletes on the team, so that’s why they were asked. Makes sense to me…
Yeah let’s ask the guy who pulled his swimmers to be the coach.
Agree with Braden, there’s so many level 5 coaches.
I wonder if it is more the fact there are some coaches they will not ask.
and some coaches who would rather not work with them.
One silver lining is that many new swimmers and coaches are getting international experience.