Head Coach Jerry Hammaker
Men's 39-14 (.736) Women's 41-13 (.759) - 6th season
hammaker@lycoming.edu

Jerry Hammaker has led the Lycoming College swim teams to unprecedented levels during his five years as head coach. He has drastically increased both the talent and depth of the teams, increasing the roster size to nearly 50 student-athletes from just 27 the year prior to his hire. Lyco swimmers have set 36 new school records in the past five seasons, including marks dating back to the early 1980s. The Lyco men’s team has a dual meet record of 39-14 and the women's team a mark of 41-13 under Hammaker. In 2003, he coached the first All-American in the history of the men's program as Nathan DeCapria placed second in the nation in the 50 free and 16th in the 100 free.

Coach Hammaker came to Lycoming College with over 18 years of coaching experience. Hammaker served as an interim coach for the Lycoming swim teams during the 2000-2001 season. During that time he headed up the recruiting program and the sprint-training group while assisting with all other coaching duties. He was named full-time head coach of men’s and women’s swimming at the conclusion of that season. Prior to returning to his hometown of Williamsport he served as Head Coach & CEO of the 100+ member age group team, Hilton Head Aquatics Club (H2A), in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Hammaker was also head coach of the competitive adult masters swim team and the boy’s and girl’s swim teams at Hilton Head High School. He was also Age Group Chairperson for the South Carolina LSC, a South Carolina Zone Team Coach, and was nominated for Age Group Coach of the Year twice during his tenure at H2A.

Frank Girardi, Athletic Director said, “Jerry has proven that he has the ability to get his athletes to perform at high levels. He has made great strides in terms of wins in a short amount of time and Jerry has established a solid foundation for the future of our program.”

Born and raised in the Williamsport area, Hammaker has coaching experience with local swimming organizations as well. He began his coaching career at the age of 15, as an assistant coach for the South Williamsport and then Williamsport swim teams. He earned his first head coaching position in 1986 when he became head coach of the Montoursville area swim team. While attending graduate school at Penn State, Hammaker founded and coached the XL Aquatic Club which was a USA Swimming team based in Williamsport. Upon conclusion of his studies at Penn State, he coached the Bishop Neumann/South Williamsport High Schools swim team that practiced at Lycoming College’s pool. Before moving to South Carolina, Hammaker was the head coach of the YMCA/USS swim team at the Williamsport YMCA where he coached numerous district, state, and national qualifiers.

In addition to his coaching experience, Hammaker is a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (Level III). He has also worked as a swim camp coach and counselor at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Hammaker has attended the Age Group Coaches College held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He is also a Certified Aquatic Facilities Operator.

Hammaker began his own swimming career at the age of four in the local Williamsport area summer swim league. Hammaker continued through age group swimming at the Williamsport YMCA where he was a team, district, and state record holder.  He also swam at the Williamsport Area High School where he was a 10-time district champion and multi-event school record holder. Hammaker still holds many team and pool records throughout the Williamsport area.

“I love coaching at Lycoming. I think it’s every coach’s dream job to coach a college team in the town in which they grew up. The team has made some big moves in very little time. My goal is to take this program to a new level and compete at both the top of the conference and nationally over a long-term basis," said Hammaker. "We are looking for swimmers who want to be involved with a college team on the upswing. In order to achieve those goals we need some great student-athletes who can excel both in the pool and in the classroom. Our recruiting program is designed to identify swimmers who have already been swimming fast and those who show the ability and the will to improve. We like to think that we can offer a college competitive swimming experience for all levels of ability up to Olympic level swimmers. Our training program is designed around the individual by maximizing their potential throughout their college career.” 

Hammaker is a graduate of The College of Wooster (Ohio), where he earned a B.A. in speech communications with a philosophy minor. He was a four-year letter winner and a school record holder for the Fighting Scots. He also is an adjunct professor in the Lycoming’s communications department teaching the public speaking course. Hammaker is married to the former Kristi Rosenbaum, who was a local swimming standout and a national champion and 17-time NCAA All-American at Clarion University.  Kristi is a certified (ACSM) health/personal fitness instructor and strength trainer. She assists with those aspects of the Lycoming College swimming program making the Lycoming College Swim Team one of the few college swim teams of any size or NCAA division with a certified strength and fitness coach on the swim team coaching staff. The Hammakers live in South Williamsport with their son Payton and their dog Ditka.