WILMINGTON, North Carolina, July 28. JASON Memont, who swam collegiately at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and enjoyed successful coaching stints at William & Mary and South Carolina, has been named UNCW’s head swimming and diving coach.
Memont, 36, has spent the last seven years with the Gamecocks, assisting Coach McGee Moody with all phases of the successful SEC program in Columbia. He takes over for veteran coach Dave Allen, who retired recently following a 37-year career that produced 16 Colonial Athletic Association championships, including three on the women’s side and an impressive string of 13 consecutive men’s titles spanning back to 2002.
“I’d like to thank Jimmy Bass and the UNCW athletic department for this opportunity,” said Memont, a native of Groveland, Mass. “I’m looking forward to following in Dave Allen’s footsteps and building on the success he had. I’d like to continue our winning tradition in the CAA and have an impact on the national scene.
“My time in the Colonial Athletic Association was very rewarding, so I’m excited about working with the great coaches in the conference and taking the next step in my coaching career.”
Memont was heavily involved with the day-to-day operations of the USC program, creating pool and dry land workouts and taper schedules, and planning off-season practices for distance and middle-distance swimmers.
Memont has enjoyed tremendous success on the recruiting trail, luring 12 NCAA All-Americans to the USC program and coaching Gamecock standouts Michael Flach, Marwan El Kamash and Gerard Rodriguez to berths in international competition.
In 2013-14, the USC men finished the dual meet season with a 6-2 record. For the second-consecutive season, the team’s 800 Freestyle Relay team of El Kamash, Flach, Rodriguez and Kevin Leithold earned All-America honors after finishing 12th overall at the NCAA Championships. The Gamecock women finished 4-4 on the year, with Amanda Rutqvist reaching the NCAA Championships for the fourth time.
“The committee conducted a very thorough search and Jason emerged as the top choice,” said Jimmy Bass, UNCW’s athletic director. “We’re looking forward to continuing the tradition and success of the swimming program here at UNCW.”
Before joining the USC program, Memont spent three seasons with Moody at Colonial Athletic Association rival William & Mary. He assisted Moody with workouts, lineups, recruiting and travel plans. During his time in Williamsburg, the Tribe, with a non-scholarship program, featured an NCAA qualifier and captured the CAA women’s championship in 2007.
Memont also has experience on the club level. He served as head coach of the Ipswich, Mass., YMCA of the North Shore team and sent 10 swimmers to NCAA Division I programs.
During his collegiate career, Memont was a two-time captain at RIT from 1996-2001 and held four relay records with the Tigers. He still owns the 200IM mark, and was also a member and assistant coach of the school’s nationally-ranked water polo team.
Memont is a 1996 graduate of Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury, Mass. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology from RIT in 2001.
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