After guiding the men’s swimming program for 28 years and the women for 15, Joe Lucia has announced he will step away from his position as the Philip H. Bartels Head Coach of Swimming. Lucia will remain with the program as a volunteer assistant coach and will continue to be in charge of alumni relations and fundraising.
With Lucia’s decision to step back, Big Red associate head coaches Patrick Gallagher (women’s) and Wes Newman (men’s) will take over as head coaches for programs that will be separated for the first time since 2009. Veronica Ribot-Canales will continue as diving coach for both programs and Robin Dyer will remain as an assistant coach for the men. A full-time assistant coach for the women will be hired in the coming weeks.
“I have goals for the program in alumni relations and fundraising and realize how important they are to making improvements for the team. It is an honor and privilege to be able to continue working closely with the coaching staff and alumni group and am excited about it,” Lucia said.
The all-time winningest coach for both the men’s and women’s programs, his 224 combined wins ranks 13th all-time among Big Red coaches in all sports. Lucia’s 28 seasons poolside guiding the Cornell men’s program also ranks 13th all-time among Big Red coaches and second to Scotty Little’s 32 years.
During his time with the Big Red, Lucia guided the men’s team to a 152-132-1 mark in dual meets. In all, 24 individuals and eight relay teams (six men’s, two women’s) won Eastern/Ivy League championships since he took over the program in 1987. He directed the 2007 team to a perfect 10-0 dual meet record and a regular season EISL title, while the 2009 squad finished a best-ever third in the EISL meet. His men’s teams won six EISL/Ivy League relay events, the first coming in 2006 and four more coming a year later. At the championship meet, Cornell had five individual Eastern champions Individual swimming champions that have won titles under Lucia are: Phil Baity (1), Michael Cai (1), Sasha Evdokimov (2), Dave Hager (1), Dean Holcomb (1), Dave McKechnie (5), Wes Newman (3), Brad Shaw (1), Mike Smit (7) and Sherwood Yuen (2). Four student-athletes – Stefano Caprara, Dave McKechnie, Wes Newman and Mike Smith – qualified for the NCAA championships.
A two-time Coach of the Year with the women, Lucia guided three Cornell women’s swimmers to Eastern/Ivy League championships (Kim Milligan, Chiara Spinazzola, Trina Young). The 1995 team achieved a third-place finish at the Ivy Championships, while the Big Red women won the 200-yard freestyle relay at the championship meet in both 1994 and 1995, becoming the first Cornell men’s or women’s team to capture a league relay crown. After the programs were split in 1996, Lucia again took hold of the women in 2010 and had an immediate impact, moving the team from eights in the Ivy League regular season and championships to sixth in duals and fifth at the championship meet.
Lucia came to Cornell after serving as the head swimming coach of Union-Endicott HS and the Union Aquatic Club for 11 years. A 1973 graduate of Cortland State, he taught in the public school system for 14 years in addition to coaching at all developmental levels of a United States swimming club.
Gallagher, the all-time winningest coach at Saint Francis prior to returning to Cornell, guided the Red Flash to four consecutive Northeast Conference titles (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013). The two-time league Coach of the Year helped guide three teams that matched school records with 10 dual meet wins in a season. Gallagher recruited or coached 12 conference relay champions and 18 conference individual champions, as well as competitors that set eight conference records and 180 all-time top 10 school performances. He previously had been an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Cornell from 2001-03. Gallagher had been the assistant aquatics director at the Albany Country Club (1995-2001) and spent one season as head swimming coach at Methacton HS in Norristown, Pa.
Newman has been an assistant coach for the last six seasons, helping the Big Red to significant improvements in both programs. The Canadian Olympic Trials participant and NCAA qualifier rewrote the Big Red record book during his four-year varsity career, graduating as one of the school’s most decorated swimmers. A three-time Eastern champion, Newman holds five individual and four school relay records. He swam on five Eastern champion relay teams during his career as well. Newman qualified for the NCAA’s in both 2007 and 2009 in the 200 free, and finished in the top five at the 2008 Canadian Olympic Trials in two events (fourth in the 400 free, fifth in the 100 butterfly). A two-year team captain and the winner of the 2008 Richie Moran Award at Cornell, he was voted the team’s most valuable performer in each of his four seasons. Newman was a catalyst for the program’s undefeated 2007 dual meet season, as well as its third-place finish at the 2009 Ivy championship meet.
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A great coach and greater man; we’re lucky to have Loosh close at hand to assist with Cornell Swimming’s next big steps.