Swim Like a Buckeye with Head Coach Bill Wadley

The Coach

Bill Wadley

Head Women's Swim Coach at OSU

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Bill Wadley, who is in his 25th season as Ohio State's men's swimming coach, is one of the most experienced and respected mentors in the world of competitive swimming.

Wadley has represented the United States as a coach on numerous occasions. He has coached the 1986 Olympic Festival and the 1988 and 1992 Gold Medal teams comprised of top non-collegiate swimmers in preparation for the Olympics. In 1991, Wadley coached the U.S. team at the World University Games and in 1993 he was coach of the U.S. National Team training camp. In 1998, he was chosen as the head men's coach for the Goodwill Games. The team went on to set seven Goodwill Game records. In 2009, Wadley was an assistant coach for USA Swimming for the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand, and he served as an assistant for Team USA in the 2011 Duel in the Pool.

Outside the collegiate ranks, Wadley coached the only double gold medalist in both the 1987 and 1993 World University Games for the United States. He has coached swimmers to the Olympic level of competition for the past six Olympiads. Recent Ohio State swimmers have won a total of three gold, two silver and five bronze medals in international competition. Marko Strahija qualified for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney for his native country of Croatia, finishing ninth in the 200 backstroke. Most recently, Wadley showcased 28 current, former or incoming Ohio State men's swimmers compete at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Wadley came to Ohio State after two years as the men's swimming coach at Michigan State. He also served as the MSU women's coach during his last season, guiding both teams to Top 20 NCAA finishes. This year marks Wadley's 27th as a coach in the Big Ten Conference. He started his coaching career at the University of Alabama under the tutelage of five time U.S. Olympic coach Don Gambril.