Former UCSB Swim Coach Gregg Wilson continued as a volunteer assistant coach and advisor for the Warrior Women's Swimming Team in 2020-21.
Wilson's second season as an assistant coach of Westmont's swim team came with the challenge of navigating through unforeseen circumstances: the COVID-19 pandemic.Â
Due to COVID protocols, numerous changes shifted the format of the season, including the first two meets for the Warriors being "virtual" meets. In these meets, the Warriors competed against schools swimming in their own home pools, while comparing their times with one another.
As the year went on, protocols loosened to allow the club to compete in six in-person meets before taking part in the PCSC Championships. Highlights from the peculiar 2020-21 campaign included a strong showing at the conference championships, and most notably the club's first All-Americans in program history (Morgan Bienias, Kassandra Gregory, and Bridget Hoth).
Wilson coached at UCSB for 40 years, taking over the men’s swimming program in 1975 and later the women’s team in 1985. His teams won a total of 39 conference titles, including 35 Big West Conference championships.
The 27-time Big West Coach of the Year led 427 swimmers and relay teams to conference titles, 21 of whom were named Conference Swimmer of the Year in either the Big West Conference or the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Another five of his student-athletes earned Conference Freshman of the Year honors, while 72 of his swimmers earned All-American honors.
The two-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year also coached three Olympians and two USA gold medalists (Rich Schroeder and Jason Lezak).
Upon his retirement in 2016, Wilson was awarded the National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy, the highest collegiate coaching honor in the country, by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
In 2018, Wilson was inducted into both the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame.
Gregg and his wife Carol live in Santa Barbara. They, along with their two grown daughters (Diana and Melissa) and one grown son (Paul), have owned Wilson Swimming, LLC for over 20 years, a program that teaches swimming lessons and offers summer swim camps.
