Army West Point Athletics
Saiz Joins Army Swimming and Diving Staff
September 13, 2023 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Swimming and Diving head coach Brandt Nigro has announced the addition of Hannah Saiz to the coaching staff as Assistant Swimming Coach.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Hannah to the Army West Point Swimming & Diving family! Hannah brings a wealth of experience both as a coach and as an elite-level competitive swimmer. Hannah's swimming career went from walk-on at Kenyon University to earning a spot on the US National Team in the span of just a few years. Her athletic growth and successes exemplify what can happen when you combine hard work with belief and a culture that supports the relentless pursuit of greatness. I'm excited for her to share that mindset and those experiences with our cadet-athletes as we continue our climb within the NCAA and USA Swimming communities."
"When building a staff, our goal is always to find highly motivated and self-driven coaches who want to be part of building something special. Coaching at Army West Point is a challenge and an opportunity to lead and mentor young men and women who will go on to do amazing things for our country through their service. Hannah's personality, intellect, and tenacity will make an instant and positive impact on our program's ability to recruit, educate, train, and inspire leaders of character!" – Head Coach Brandt Nigro
Saiz comes to West Point after spending the 2022-23 season at Boston University as an Associate Head Coach.
While at Boston University, Saiz managed all aspects of recruiting. She also scheduled and ran JR Day for 50 prospects and family members. Also, two individuals on the team registered three NCAA B cuts. The team also set five new team records.
Saiz ran the Boston University swimming and diving program for three months after Head Coach Bill Smyth retired. There Saiz oversaw recruiting, alumni engagement, academic support, and programming duties.
Prior to her stint at Boston University, Saiz was the Head Coach and Aquatics Director at St. Norbert College Swim and Dive program.
At St. Norbert, both the men's and women's programs tied the highest-ever team finishes, including six individual, five relay championship titles, and one conference record. They also had the highest amount of individual women's finishes (second) and relay finishes (second). St. Norbert set 31 team records, many of which were set in Saiz's first season.
Saiz also had a stint at Kenyon swimming and diving where she was the Interim and Volunteer Assistant Coach from 2017-2019. While at Kenyon, Saiz worked directly with the sprint group; helping increase performance (fourth and ninth-place finishers from the 2018 season set a new NCAA record). She also recruited competitive prospects with top-tier educational capabilities and athletic potential.
In 2018-19 Saiz was the head coach and founder of SERF Swimming, a community aquatics program based on the Kenyon campus. At SERF Swimming, Saiz designed and implemented water and land programs and maintained an effective social media presence to promote and grow the program.
Saiz also was the Head Swim Coach at Mount Vernon (Ohio) High School for two seasons (2017-19). While at Mount Vernon High, Saiz mentored and supported student-athletes of all levels and abilities, fostering relationships between teammates and a culture of success and student-athlete well-being.
From September 2020-22, Hannah was a council member of the USA Swimming Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council. Saiz was also an Athlete Representative with the USA Swimming Safe Sport Committee from September 2017-18.
Saiz earned a bachelor's degree in English from Kenyon with an emphasis in creative writing.
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