MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men's and women's swimming and diving coach Vic Riggs has announced the hiring of Lauren Cassano as the women's associate head coach on Wednesday.
 
"I'm pleased to have Lauren join our program as the new associate head coach for women's swimming and diving," Riggs said. "As I got to know Lauren over the interview process, her commitment to her student-athletes and their overall development as young adults was an important factor in our search. I look forward to Lauren joining the Mountaineer Family and helping our program continue to be the best it can be."
 
"I'm honored to be named the associate head coach of women's swimming here, at WVU," Cassano said. "I look forward to being a positive addition to this strong coaching staff and continue to develop well-rounded student-athletes. I am grateful to Coach Riggs for this incredible opportunity."
 
The Venetia, Pennsylvania, native joins WVU after spending last season as the assistant swim coach at Saint Francis University. Under her guidance, a pool record and long-standing school record fell as she helped develop an NEC Rookie and multiple NEC Players of the Week. 
 
While coaching at SFU, Cassano oversaw the progression and execution of the sprint and distance IM training groups, as well as supporting the academic success for her student-athletes. The Red Flash were able to maintain their success in the classroom as well. As a team, the swimmers held a GPA of 3.5 for the year, with eight women achieving a 4.0 GPA. SFU Swimming was awarded the highest percentage of athletes on the North East Conference (NEC) Honor Roll with 88.4% as well as a continued 100% graduation rate. 
 
Prior to SFU, Cassano was the assistant swim coach at Allegheny College for two seasons. While there, the Gators achieved their highest North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standing in recent years for both the women and men, third & sixth respectively. The women broke the 400-freestyle relay record and multiple athletes were named NCAC Athlete of the Week. 
 
Before entering into the collegiate level of swim coaching, Cassano spent four years as a strength and conditioning coach with UPMC Sports Performance under the direction of one of the top sports performance experts, who has worked with numerous Division I and professional athletes.
 
Cassano graduated from Grove City College in 2015, as a decorated student-athlete with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. 
 
Ranked 10th in NCAA Division III, she earned four-time All-American Consideration, was a four-year letter winner, four-year all-conference and President Athletic Conference (PAC) Champion in the 100 and 200 backstroke and a two-time PAC Champion 200 IM. She broke school records in the 100 and 200 backstroke, contributed to the 400 medley relay school record as well as the pool records for the 200 freestyle and medley relays.
 
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