Rod Hansen Becomes First Three-Time Winner of ASCA/F&F Age Group Coach of the Year Award

Rod Hansen Becomes First Three-Time Winner of ASCA/F&F Age Group Coach of the Year Award

Rod Hansen from Irvine Novaquatics has won the American Swimming Coaches Association and Fitter & Faster Age Group Coach of the Year Award for 2024. This is his second year in a row winning this award.

 

USA Swimming Power Points are used to choose the finalists and the winner of the award. The best 11–14-year-old swimmers from the 2023 long course season and the 2023–2024 short course season were compared. Each swimmer could only add up to 4 swims to their coach’s total.

 

In the 13–14 age group, Alyssa Ton and Bianca Nwaizu are two young women who have broken Team Records while swimming. For the boys, Michael Wang was one of the best swimmers. In the 50 and 100 yard freestyles, he broke Team Records.

 

Hansen has also won before, in 2018 and 2023. Last year, he became the first person to win the award twice. This year, he wins it three times, making him the first person to win it back-to-back since the award was created in 2014.

 

All-Time Winners, ASCA Age Group Coach of the Year

  • 2014: Beth Winkowski of Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta, GA
  • 2015: Tom Himes of North Baltimore Aquatic Club in Baltimore, MD
  • 2016: Sherwood Watts of Sarasota Sharks in Sarasota, FL
  • 2017: Rob Norman of TAC Titans in Cary, NC
  • 2018: Rod Hansen of Irvine Novaquatics, CA
  • 2019: Megan Oesting of Eastern Iowa Swim Federation
  • 2020: Alex Rayle of Piedmont Family YMCA/CYAC in Charlottesville, VA
  • 2021: Collin Kennedy of Cypress Fairbanks Swim Club in Cypress, TX
  • 2022: MC Banks of NOVA in Richmond, VA
  • 2023: Rod Hansen of Irvine Novaquatics, CA
  • 2024: Rod Hansen of Irvine Novaquatics, CA

 

2024 Top 10 Finalists

Name

Club

Joe Finke

Saint Petersburg Aquatics – FL

Rod Hansen

Irvine Novaquatics – CA

Tom Himes

North Baltimore Aquatic Club – MD

Mike Julian

NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc – VA

Russ Kasl

SwimMAC Carolina – NC

Luke Nelson

NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc – VA

Rob Norman

TAC Titans – NC

Thomas Pearson

Crow Canyon Sharks – PC

Peter Robinson

Nitro Swimming – ST

Sherwood Watts

North Carolina Aquatic Club – NC

 

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