Courtesy: Lewis & Clark Athletics
PALATINE HILL — A coach with nearly 20 years of coaching experience, a half-decade of which has been in the Northwest Conference, Murilo Martins has been named the head coach for the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, Director of Physical Education and Athletics Mark Pietrok announced on Sunday.
Martins has been the long-time assistant at Linfield and head coach of the McMinnville Swim Club. He takes over the Pios head coaching role from Chris Fantz, who left collegiate coaching after 14 years earlier this summer.
“There are so many things that excite me about this new opportunity as the Lewis & Clark head coach,” Martins said. “One is the chance to continue building the high level of excellence that coach Chris Fantz implemented with this program. I’m also excited to join the highly-qualified Lewis & Clark athletics department staff. Last but not least, I can’t wait for our season to start in a few weeks, so I have the chance to work with our very special group of swimmers.”
Originally from Brazil, where he set records as a competitor for the University of Fortaleza, Martins has led the McMinnville Swim Club for over 10 years, helping several swimmers qualify for USA Swimming Junior Nationals.
“Coach Martins brings a wide range of knowledge to this position, which will provide our student-athletes an unmatched experience around the Building Champions philosophy we espouse in our department,” Pietrok said. “We are delighted to welcome Murilo to Palatine Hill, and look forward to the upcoming season and the impact he’ll have on the team and department.”
“I want to thank Mark Pietrok and Sheron Sexton for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I also can’t forget to thank my mentor and friend, Linfield head coach Kyle Kimball, with whom I had the opportunity to work for five years at the collegiate level.”
Lewis & Clark’s last few seasons have been tremendously successful. A year ago, both the men’s and women’s teams finished with 3-1 dual records. Each program has won at least three duals in three of the last four seasons.
“My philosophy is to create a fun and fast-paced environment that helps our student-athletes succeed in and out of the water,” Martins said. As coach of the McMinnville Swim Club, he has overseen as many as 120 athletes ranging in age from 5 to 61.
The Pioneers swimming schedule will be released soon with the NWC Championships scheduled for Feb. 10-13, 2022.