Texas A&M Men Add Another Assistant Coach, Michael Walker

Texas A&M has announced the hiring of Michael Walker as a new assistant swimming coach with the men’s team. This makes the Aggies the first single-gender program to announce an addition that takes advantage of new NCAA rules that eliminate volunteer coaching positions, but allows teams to hire extra full-time coaches (paid or unpaid).

Walker comes to the program from the University of Delaware, where he has spent the last five seasons, including three as an associate head coach.

Walker’s biggest connection to the program is via several prior jobs where he worked with Texas A&M associate head coach Jason Calanog. Among Walker’s prior jobs was as an assistant coach under Sergio Lopez at West Virginia, where Calanog went to college and coached from 2006 to 2007. When Lopez (current HC at Virginia Tech) went to The Bolles School in Florida, Walker joined him there as a senior assistant. Jason Calanog was also a member of that staff, serving as the primary coach for the group that included Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel.

“We are excited to have Mike Walker joining our staff this coming July,” Holmes said. “He brings a great deal of coaching experience to our staff, both internationally and collegiately. He has coached Olympians and successful international swimmers. Most recently, he played an important role in the University of Delaware’s success in the CAA as they posted consecutive record-setting seasons and lowered multiple school records. We expect him to come in and have an immediate impact on our team and program. We look forward to having him and his family here with us.”

Biographical Information Courtesy: Texas A&M Athletics

Walker comes to Aggieland after spending the last five seasons at Delaware, where he served as an assistant coach for three seasons before being promoted to associate head coach in November of 2021. During his time with the Blue Hens he helped develop and guide multiple CAA individual champions on both the men’s and women’s teams. The programs showed great improvement throughout his tenure, putting up multiple undefeated dual meet seasons and lowering numerous school records each season.

Prior to his time at Delaware, Walker returned to his home state of West Virginia in 2016 to serve as the head coach of the Fairmont Area Swim Team. He spent two years as the head coach of FAST, while also serving as an assistant at Fairmont State University. During his time at FAST, Walker oversaw the entire operations of the club, developing season plans, workouts, meets and much more.

Walker began his coaching career in 2010 as he joined his former West Virginia head coach Sergio Lopez Miro at the prestigious Bolles School located in Jacksonville, Florida. He remained as an assistant coach under Lopez for five years before becoming the head coach of the Guatemalan National Swim Team at the Guatemala Aquatic Federation. Walker spent two years in Guatemala, where he was personally in charge of Olympian Gisela Morales’ training program. He served as the head coach for the Guatemalan team during the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2015 FINA World Championships.

Walker attended West Virginia University where he was a team captain and member of the 2007 Big East Championship team. He was the Big East Champion in the 200 backstroke in 2008 and 400 IM in 2008 and 2009. He was also an NCAA All-American in 2009 and a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the 200 breaststroke, 200 IM and 400 IM.

The Bridgeport, W.V., native graduated from West Virginia with a degree in sports and exercise psychology in 2009. He and his wife Brooke have a son, Hendricks.