Brian Hein Hired as Penn State Altoona Swim Coach, Director of Aquatics

ALTOONA, Pa. - Penn State Altoona Athletics announced on Sept. 16 the hiring of Brian Hein as the next head coach of its NCAA Division III men's and women's swimming program and as the department's Director of Aquatics.

Hein becomes the sixth coach in the NCAA Division III history of Penn State Altoona's swim program, succeeding Brad Brooks, who spent the past seven years at the helm. In addition to his coaching duties, Hein will oversee programming for the Adler Natatorium as the Athletics department's Director of Aquatics.

"I am very happy to welcome coach Brian Hein to our department. His experience and passion for the sport will continue the growth and success of our program," said Penn State Altoona Director of Athletics Brent Baird. "I look forward to seeing Brian work with our athletes to grow and develop each member's individual skills. I am also looking forward to developing an increased aquatics program for recreational programming, youth swim lessons, and other possibilities that Brian will work on in the future. I know that his experience within the club and varsity levels will be a great asset to our program."

Hein brings over 20 years of experience to Penn State Altoona in managing and developing swim teams. He most recently served as the head swim coach at the State College Area YMCA, and his previous collegiate coaching experience includes stints with Division II programs at Lock Haven University and Delta State University (Miss.).

"I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to join Penn State Altoona as both the men's and women's head swimming coach," said Hein. "Swimming has given me so much throughout my life, and I am eager to give back by supporting student-athletes as they grow both in the pool and as individuals. What excites me most is building genuine relationships with the team, and creating an environment where athletes feel supported and in which they are set up for success."

From 1999 to 2022, Hein held several coaching positions at both the club and collegiate levels. During this span, his club coaching experience included being the head coach for the Razorback Aquatic Club (Ark.), Dayton Raiders (Ohio), WTRC Sharks (Ohio), and Delta Ducks (Miss.). Collegiately, Hein held coaching positions at Lock Haven and Delta State, where he was a three-time New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference Coach of the Year and two-time American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of Excellence.

Across both his club and college coaching background, Hein has recruited and developed over 1,000 swimmers, including over 60 NCAA Division II All-Americans and over 20 US Olympic Trial qualifiers.

From 2022-25, Hein served as the head swim coach at the State College Area YMCA. In this position, he recruited, assessed, and coached a team of over 200 swimmers while also hiring, training, and supervising assistant coaches and managing a team budget and training plans.

Hein also had a standout career as a swimmer himself. In high school, he was the Nebraska state champion in the 100 Freestyle, 200 IM, and 400 Freestyle Relay swims. Hein's college career was highlighted by being a Division II All-American as a freshman at Ashland University while also taking Penn-Ohio Conference Male Swimmer of the Year honors. He was also a conference finalist for the University of Nebraska and will be inducted into the Lincoln Southeast Athletics Hall of Fame this October.

The Penn State Altoona men's and women's swimming teams open their 2025-26 schedules on the road in a tri-meet hosted by Chatham University on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. The team's full schedule is available to view online.