Gerry Cournoyer

Gerry Cournoyer enters his 20th season at the helm of the Vermont swimming & diving program in 2019-20.

HONORS

• America East Coaching Staff of the Year (2007, 2009, 2016)
• ECAC Championship Co-Coach of the Year (2008)

Cournoyer led Vermont to its seventh straight third place finish at the 2019 America East Championships. Sierra Sexton earned All-Conference honors in the 50 freestyle and junior Sophia Smith earned the America East Elite 18 Award for her efforts in the pool and classroom.

In 2017-18, UVM closed the four-day America East Champiosnhips with 11 All-Conference performances and broke three school records. Senior Shannon Cowley broke her own varsity record to win individual gold in the 200 breaststroke. The Catamounts won the America East title in the 200 freestyle relay for the third straight year and were also victorious in the 400 free relay.

In 2016-17, Cournoyer led the team to its first 5-0 start since 2011-12 when the Catamounts began the year 7-0. For the second time in a three-year span, UVM broke the program record for total points at the America East Championships with 668. The Catamounts registered their fifth straight third place finish and broke four varsity records. UVM, which closed the year 6-1 overall and 3-0 against America East opponents, defended its conference title in the 200 free relay and posted six additional All-Conference performances from three swimmers.

The Catamounts closed the 2016 conference meet with 636.5 points and posted a total of eight All-Conference performances. Cournoyer and his staff were named the America East Coaching Staff of the Year for the first time since 2009 and the third time overall. Vermont also claimed its first-ever conference title in the 200 free relay with the team of Courtney Gray, Sarah Mantz, Kira Hancock, and Christa Weaver.

Four years ago, Cournoyer led the Catamounts to their best overall record (8-2) since the 1981-82 season, and guided the team to third place at America East with a then program-record 662 team points. Three Catamounts collected All-Conference honors at the championships, and Andie Blaser and Maggie Preston each collected individual titles in the 100 fly and 3-meter dive, respectively.

In 2013-14, Cournoyer guided Vermont to a 7-7 overall record, which included a first-place finish at the six-team Terrier Invitational hosted by Boston University. Cournoyer collected his 100th career victory with the Catamounts following a sweep of a tri-meet with CCSU and Merrimack. At the America East Championships, the Catamounts scored the second-most points in program history (640) and tied for their best-ever finish. Christa Weaver and Ilsa Feierabend collected All-Conference honors at the championships.

In 2012-13, Cournoyer led the Catamounts to a 9-5 record and a third place finish at the conference championships, which tied their best in program history. Christa Weaver was named Most Outstanding Rookie at the meet, becoming just the second Catamount to win the award in the program's history. Chelsea Krisanda and Kailey Gardner also earned All-Conference honors at the championships.

Vermont finished with an 8-4 record in 2011-12 and earned a fourth place finish at the America East Championships. During the season, sophomore Claudia Etherington posted one of the top-10 fastest times in the 200 backstroke in the nation.

During the 2010-11 season, the Cats went 9-6 and posted their sixth straight season of nine wins or more. The Catamounts also ended the season receiving votes in the final CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Dual Meet Poll.

The Cats went 10-6 in 2009-10 as senior Molly MacMillan earned her third straight America East Championship in the 1,650 freestyle, while classmate Colleen Clark won the America East Coaches Award, which goes to the senior student-athlete each year who tallied the most points at the conference championship during their four years. MacMillan was second in the standings, only eight points behind her classmate.

Vermont went 9-4-1 in 2008-09 as the Catamounts had their best finish in school history at the America East Championship, with three individual champions and one relay championship, as well as breaking nearly every school record.

During his time at Vermont, Cournoyer has also coached a handful of athletes who have made their mark on the school’s record books. The Cats have broken all 21 varsity marks and reestablished three conference records at the league championship in the last five years.

Cournoyer took over the swimming program in 2000 and inherited a team that had only three combined wins in the five years prior to his arrival. He's been able to build up a winning tradition at UVM, and since 2003-04, he's led the Catamounts to at least seven wins in each season. Cournoyer is the only coach in program history to reach the 100-win plateau with the Catamounts.

A 1990 graduate of Norwich University, Cournoyer has made a name for himself in collegiate swimming as one of the top coaches in the East. Cournoyer came to UVM in the 2000 after serving as head coach of swimming & diving at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for four years. His combined record at Lycoming was 71-42.

In his first year at Lycoming, Cournoyer was named MAC Women's Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year after directing the Warriors to a school-record 13 wins in 14 dual meets as well as the program's first-ever conference title.

Prior to his stint at Lycoming, Cournoyer was head coach of men's and women's swimming and diving at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts for two years. He led the Bridgewater men's team to an 11-0 record in his final season and an 11th-place finish in the 26-team New England Championships. His combined record at Bridgewater State was 33-14.

Cournoyer's final season at Bridgewater was highlighted by the women's team finishing 9-5 to post its first winning record in eight years. Prior to coming to Vermont, Cournoyer posted a combined record of 104-56 in his five seasons as a head coach.

A native of Cumberland, Rhode Island, Cournoyer was a letter winner in swimming at Norwich. He was selected to the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame Class of 2006 and earned his Masters in Education from UVM in 2009.