Fairfield Announces Virginia Tech Associate Jacy Dyer As New Head Coach

Jacy Dyer has been hired as the new head swim & dive coach of Fairfield University, Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann announced Tuesday.

Dyer joins the Stags after spending the last four seasons coaching at Virginia Tech, including serving as an associate head coach during the 2021-22 campaign.

Dyer’s hiring comes after former head coach Anthony Bruno was named the new head coach at Towson University in June. Bruno had been Fairfield’s head coach for the last five seasons.

Welcome Jacy Dyer to @FairfieldU and the Stags family as the new head coach of @Stags_SwimDive‼️

➡️ https://t.co/0U7r9v4q1V#WeAreStags #StagsLead 🤘

— Fairfield Stags (@FairfieldStags) August 2, 2022

“I cannot wait to continue to build on the success this team, athletic department, and previous staff have built,” Dyer said of the hire.

“The second I met this administration at Fairfield, I knew this was the place I wanted to be. The amazing support for all their teams, athletes, and for each other proved that these athletes are in a great place to thrive and accomplish any goal they set out to achieve.”

During her time at Virginia Tech, Dyer spent three years as an assistant coach before being promoted into the associate head coaching role prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. She also led all recruiting efforts for the Hokies women’s program during her time in Blacksburg.

Last season, Dyer helped propel the Virginia Tech women to a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the third-highest in school history, and the men’s team also placed 11th at nationals which matched their best ever.

Prior to joining the Hokies, Dyer spent four seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison University, including helping the team win the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title.

A native of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Dyer also gained coaching experience at her alma mater, Toledo University, where she was a member of the staff for three seasons which included winning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in 2012.

As a student-athlete at Toledo, Dyer was an NCAA qualifier in the women’s distance freestyle events, and also competed in the 400 and 800 free at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. She won MAC Swimmer of the Year honors in 2010 and collected a total of 16 medals at the MAC Championships during her four-year career.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 2011, Dyer was inducted into the Toledo Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.

The Fairfield women’s team placed third at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships last season, while the men’s team finished as the runners-up.

Dyer is at least the fourth woman to be named the head coach of a combined-gender NCAA Division I swimming & diving program this offseason, joining Dartmouth’s Milana Socha, UIC’s Ashley Dell, and Holy Cross’ Kristy Jones. Stefanie Williams Moreno was also named the new head coach of the Georgia women’s team this summer.