June 8, 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College announced the hiring of John O'Neill as the head coach of the men's and women's swimming and diving programs. The announcement was made on Monday, June 11. O'Neill previously coached the Friars from the 1984-85 season through the 2000-2001 season. He replaces Jonathan Caswell, who resigned in April.

As head coach of the Friars, O'Neill presided over some of the most successful squads in the history of the program. In 1986 he coached PC's first BIG EAST individual champion, Horace Bowden. On the women's side, O'Neill coached five different BIG EAST Champs, who won a total of twelve different events at the BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships. While at Providence, O'Neill received many coaching accolades including men's New England Coach of the Year (1999), women's New England Coach of the Year (1990, 1992, 1993), and BIG EAST Women's Coach of the Year (1998).

Most recently, O'Neill was the head coach of the men's and women's swimming and diving programs for the United States Military Academy at West Point. He coached the Black Knights for five seasons, from 2001-2006. Over that span, O'Neill was instrumental in helping the Black Knights finish near the top of the Patriot League, including a third-place finish by the men at the 2003-04 Patriot League Championships. For his efforts, O'Neill was named Patriot League Co-Coach of the year in men's swimming and diving in 2004.

O'Neill is a 1981 graduate of Springfield College where he swam for three seasons on the varsity squad. A past president of the New England Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Association, O'Neill was inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1994.