Sarah Dunleavy - Swimming & Diving Coach

Sarah Dunleavy

Title:
Assistant Coach/Director of Women's Recruiting
Alma Mater:
Purdue, 2012
Email:
sdunleavy@athletics.pitt.edu
Phone:
412-383-9078

Sarah Dunleavy is in her second season with Pitt swimming & diving as an assistant swimming coach and the program's director of women's recruiting.

In her first season, the Panthers' women improved their team finish (ninth) and points total (428.0) at the ACC Championships from the previous campaign. Futhermore, eight of Pitt's women's swimming school records were broken in 2016-17, and three women's swimmers qualified for the NCAA Championships, with Lina Rathsack earning Honorable Mention All-America honors in the 100 breaststroke as Kinga Cichowska and Amanda Richey also competed in Indianapolis.

“Sarah is one of the top female coaches in the country,” Pitt head coach John Hargis said when Dunleavy joined his staff in the summer of 2016. “Her reputation as a recruiter and track record as a coach are phenomenal. Pitt and myself are lucky to have her.”

Prior to returning to her native western Pennsylvania roots, the Bethel Park, Pa., native spent the previous three seasons as the assistant swim coach and women’s recruiting coordinator at the University of Kentucky. In her tenure with the Wildcats, she worked with 13 NCAA All-Americans, and coached athletes who broke 16 of the 20 women’s school records. Additionally, she worked with 15 qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Trials and helped guide the first SEC champions from Kentucky in 16 years.

Dunleavy conducted workouts for NCAA champion Danielle Galyer and two USA national team members. She also served as women’s recruiting coordinator and assisted with all academic aspects of the women’s program.

Prior to her time in Lexington, Dunleavy was an assistant coach at Illinois State University during the 2012-13 campaign. She helped elevate ISU to new heights, as the Redbirds broke 15 school records and two conference records during her year there.

A 2012 graduate of Purdue University, Dunleavy was a team captain and a three-time All-Big Ten Academic honoree for the Boilermakers. Additionally, she was the recipient of the academic department’s John Wooden Leadership Award and the team’s Cathy Wright-Eger Educational Excellence Award.

Dunleavy competed at various national-level meets during her high school career and was a 15-time All-State selection during her prep swimming career in Pennsylvania. In 2014, Dunleavy was inducted into the Bethel Park High School Hall of Fame.