Hawks tab experienced NCAA Division II coach to lead swimming programs

QUINCY — The rebirth of the Quincy University swimming program now has someone to lead the charge.

The school’s athletic department announced Monday it has hired Bryan Christiansen to become the head coach of the men’s and women’s swim programs, which will officially begin competition during the 2022-23 school year.

Quincy launched a women’s swimming program in 2016, but due to personnel issues, the program was suspended in 2017.

Christiansen comes to Quincy from Frostburg State, an NCAA Division II program in Frostburg, Md., where he served as the head swim coach from 2018-2021. He resigned last May to move to Springfield, Ill., where his wife was hired as an attorney.

In his last year with the Bobcats, Christiansen had seven Mountain East Conference champions at the combined GMAC/MEC Championships, including Swimmer of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The men’s team finished fifth overall and third in the MEC, while the women finished seventh overall and fourth in the MEC under Christiansen’s direction. 

“Bryan’s track record of recruiting and developing well-rounded swim teams is what piqued my interest,” QU athletic director Josh Rabe said. “We are all excited about the start of swimming, and the arrival of Bryan caps that excitement with a track record of success.”

On top of developing competitive athletes in the pool, Christiansen also turned around the academic culture within Frostburg’s swimming program. When Christiansen arrived at FSU, he took the men from a 2.6 GPA to a 3.3 and the women from a 2.9 to a 3.4 GPA. Along the way, both squads were named Scholar All-Americans in 2019 and 2020.

“Quincy is a fantastic opportunity to build a team the right way in one of the most competitive DII conferences in the country,” Christiansen said in a press release. “The athletic department has had tremendous backing of this program, and I am confident that we can do what needs to be done to be competitive.”