LIU Hires Jon Pepaj as Swimming and Diving Head Coach
Long Island University has hired Jon Pepaj as its new swimming and diving head coach, the school announced last week.
Pepaj moves slightly eastward on the Island after six seasons as an assistant coach at St. Francis Brooklyn, his alma mater. The native of Tirane, Albania, swam for the Terriers, captaining the team all four seasons. He was St. Francis Brooklyn’s team MVP in 2015 and earned the Coach’s Award in 2014.
Pepaj represented Albania at the World Championships in 2009 and 2009 and the European Championships in 2009.
Pepaj was one of St. Francis Brooklyn’s top recruiters in his time there, responsible for attracting international and domestic talent. Under his watch, the Terriers had six top-three finishes at the Northeast Conference Championships.
He has also worked in the club realm, starting in 2015 with Imagine Swimming, a learn-to-swim school in New York City. He is Imagine’s director of competitive development, working to train teachers and organized scheduling. He also coaches Imagine’s club team, the Manhattan Makos, with a roster of more than 130 swimmers.
Pepaj replaces Robert Smith, who was hired in the summer of 2021. The LIU men’s team went 3-4 in dual meets last year and finished second among the four teams at the NEC Championships. The women were 4-4 last year and finished third at the nine-team NEC meet.