Derek Schmitt promoted to Associate Head Coach

TEMPE  – Derek Schmitt has been promoted to Associate Head Coach for Sun Devil Swimming and Diving after being an assistant coach for the team since 2016.

A prominent piece of the swim program, Schmitt has been part of its rise, serving as an assistant coach since 2016-17 season. He played a pivotal role in helping the men’s team win the 2024 national championship in addition to claiming three straight conference titles beginning in 2023.

Schmitt recently helped the women’s team win their first conference title in program history this past March and guided them to a 19th place finish, their best at the NCAA Championships since 2012.

He has been responsible for developing training programs for ASU swimmers as an assistant, which have resulted in Sun Devil Swimming and Diving emerging as one of the nation's elite programs.

“Derek has been an integral part of this program for 10 years now and has helped build this program brick by brick. He has a contagious energy that every athlete on our team loves,” said head coach Herbie Behm. “He is an incredible coach and an incredible leader. We’re so lucky that he’s part of this team. No one deserves this promotion more than Derek.”

Schmitt began his coaching tenure at Arizona State during the 2015-16 season as a graduate assistant by helping former head coach Bob Bowman with planning, organizing and executing Olympic practice groups with training plans. 

Throughout his time in Tempe, Schmitt has helped student-athletes grow throughout their collegiate careers. His energy on the pool deck is contagious and showcases the culture of Sun Devil Swimming while creating training regimes that bring out the best for the team.

Prior to Arizona State, Schmitt was the lead assistant coach for the Plymouth-Canton Cruisers Bronze Medal club team. Coaching over 100 swimmers, Schmitt led the planning and execution of practice between four to six times a week.

Schmitt also served as a coaching intern for the University of Tennessee and a manager at the University of Pittsburgh. Schmitt swam competitively at the University of Ohio (2006-07) where he received the Fletcher Gilders Memorial Award as the most improved student-athlete and competed as a member of the Pitt Varsity Swimming program (2007-08).

The Michigan native graduated in 2015 with a bachelor's of science degree in sports management from Eastern Michigan.