Courtesy: Mean Green Sports
DENTON – The University of North Texas swim and dive program and head coach Brittany Roth have announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches. Stephanie O’Callaghan will be taking over as the diving coach, and Justin Hastings has been named assistant swim coach.
“I’m really excited to add Stephanie and Justin to our Swimming and Diving staff,” said head coach Brittany Roth. “Both Justin and Stephanie have a strong background in not only helping their athletes achieve in the pool, but also have built great athlete-coach relationships that have help their student-athletes achieve outside of the pool and setting them up for life after college athletics. I’m excited for our UNT student-athletes to get to work with and learn from both Stephanie and Justin.”
O’Callaghan joins the Mean Green after her second stint at St. Bonaventure, where she had served as the men’s and women’s diving coach since 2017. She rejoined the Bonnies after serving as the diving coach from 2010 to 2013. O’Callaghan earned back-to-back Atlantic 10 Diving Coach of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 and coached the Bonnies to an Atlantic 10 championship in 2013.
Between stops at St. Bonaventure, O’Callaghan serve as the head men’s and women’s diving coach at the University of Findlay where she led two divers to the NCAA Division II Championships.
O’Callaghan is a University of Michigan alumna and spent all four years as an undergraduate with the Wolverine swim and dive program. She earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors all four years at Michigan.
“I am so excited for this great opportunity to join an already strong program at UNT,” said Stephanie O’Callaghan. “Coach Roth, along with the previous coaches, have done a tremendous job in building this program up into one that’s successful at conference championships and beyond. I can’t wait to jump in and continue that path forward and help the divers, the team as a whole, and the athletic department build champions and prepare leaders. I want to thank Coach Roth and everyone in the Mean Green family for welcoming me in with open arms.”
Justin Hastings, who will serve as the Mean Green’s new assistant swim coach, comes to Denton after five seasons with Colorado Mesa University. As the assistant swim coach and recruiting coordinator at CMU, Hastings helped lead the Mavericks to back-to-back Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships with both men’s and women’s programs in 2019 and 2020.
Hastings is an alumnus of CMU and the Maverick swim and dive program. He earned five CSCAA Honorable Mention All-America honors in five events from 2014 to 2016. He also claimed six RMAC title in his three years with the program, including five in 2014 where he led CMU to its first-ever RMAC title.
“I’m excited and honored to have the opportunity to work with Coach Roth and the rest of her staff,” said Justin Hastings. “I’m eager to get to get work continuing excellence in the classroom and pool with an amazing group of women.”
In addition to the hiring of O’Callaghan and Hastings, longtime assistant swim coach Rachel Friel will remain with the program as a volunteer assistant.
Former diving coach Mark Murdock accepted a position with the University of Cincinnati swim and dive program following the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.
Mean Green swim and dive looks to continue 2021 where they left off in the 2020-21 season, posting a program-best finish at the Conference USA Championships. UNT swimmers medaled in four events, and three divers finished in the top ten, another program record. Be sure to keep an eye on MeanGreenSports.com and follow Mean Green swim and dive on social media @MeanGreenSwim for schedule announcements and team updates.