SWARTHMORE, Pa. - After five years as the department of athletics and recreation chair and director, Brad Koch is leaving Swarthmore College at the end of June to explore new opportunities.
Harleigh Chwastyk, head volleyball coach since 2002, will serve as interim director of athletics, beginning July 1.
Throughout Koch's tenure at the College, Swarthmore's athletic programs have experienced remarkable success, with numerous teams and individuals capturing Centennial Conference titles and NCAA postseason berths. During that same time, the program has continued to produce dozens of All-Americans, among many other notable team and individual accolades. Koch also helped strengthen a culture of wellness and well-being on campus. He prioritized community engagement through programs such as Team IMPACT, which matches children who have serious illnesses or disabilities with college sports teams to build relationships focused on socialization, empowerment, and resilience.
As the longest-tenured volleyball coach in the Centennial Conference, Chwastyk has built a highly successful program. Her teams earned a pair of NCAA Tournament berths (2018, 2022), including one NCAA Elite Eight appearance, multiple Eastern Conference Athletic Conference titles, and several Centennial Conference championship match appearances. She has coached dozens of student-athletes to All-America, All-Region, and All-Centennial honors, including a finalist for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She has also been named Centennial Conference Coach of the Year four times (2009, 2010, 2014, 2022), an honor voted on by her peers.
Throughout that time, she's been an active member of the College community, serving on numerous campus committees and groups, including the Committee on Faculty Procedures, the Faculty Committee on Diversity and Excellence, the Faculty Committee on Child Care, the Swarthmore Coalition on Well-being, the Physical Education & Athletics Advisory Committee, and the Swarthmore Forward Working Group focused on leadership in a multiracial democracy and the world.
Chwastyk is equally committed to student-athlete development off the court. Under her leadership, 19 teams have earned American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Awards, and more than 130 student-athletes have been recognized on the All-Centennial Academic Honor Roll.
As part of her interim appointment to director of athletics and recreation, Chwastyk will not serve as head volleyball coach. An interim head coach will be announced in the coming days.
