Sacred Heart University Women's Swimming & Diving

John Spadafina has served as the Head Swimming & Diving Coach at Sacred Heart University since August 2014 and is the longest-tenured head coach in the progr...

The 2025-26 season begins Vance’s eighth season with the Pioneers. Since 2018 the diving program has reached record breaking results. SHU ACCOMPLISHMENTS • 2025 MAAC Diving Coach of the YEAR 2022, 2023 & 2024 NEC Women's Diving Coach of the Year • Earned ECAC Women's Winter Championship Diving Coach of the Meet honors in both 2019 and 2022. Coach Sinclair Yadao MAAC Women’s Diver of the Year & Rookie Diver of the year I 2025. Coach 2 NCAA Zone qualifiers in 2024-25 Season • Coached Lola Barrett to a NEC Diver of the Meet in 2024, where she captured both the one meter and three-meter gold medals, set a new conference record on three meter and became the first diver in SHU history to qualify for NCAA Zones. • Thirteen of the 15 divers on SHU's all-time top 5 lists were coached by Vance. • 2019 Molly Martin placed seventh on the three-meter, becoming the first Pioneer since 2010 to place in the top 8 at the NEC Championship. • Olivia McNicholas 2x NEC Champion, 4x NEC All-Conference Diver. 16x NEC Diver of the Week and Lucy Cox Alumni Award Winner. Coach Adam saw a record-breaking year, Lola Barret broke 2 pool records as well as 1 school record, Sinclair Yadao won both 1M & 3M Diving at MAAC’s earning her Women’s Diver of the Meet and Rookie Diver of the meet. With a dominant performance on the boards, it earned Coach Adam Vance MAAC Diving Coach of the year, his 4th in a row including the 3 in a row from the NEC. Coach Adam was represented with his 2 divers at Rutgers Universi

Megan Balbo will be entering her 3rd season as Assistant coach with the Swimming & Diving Program. Coach Megan serves all aspects of our program from recruit...

Melanie Sanchez enters her first season on the coaching staff under Head Coach John Spadafina after a successful four-year career as a Pioneer. As a swimmer, Senior Year: Named to the CSC Academic All-District Team Placed 14th in the 400 IM (4:34.07) at the MAAC Championship Placed fifth in the 200 butterfly (2:04.83) at the MAAC Championship Placed seventh in the 100 butterfly (56.52) and secured the school record at the MAAC Championship Junior Year: Placed 13th in the 200-yard butterfly (2:08.27) at the NEC Championship Placed 14th in the 400-yard IM (4:38.51) at the NEC Championship Placed 22nd in the 500-yard freestyle (5:15.26) at the NEC Championship Sophomore Year: Went personal best in 200 free timed finals at 2023 NEC Championships. Went season best in 200 fly finals at 2023 NEC Championships (placed 12th). Went season best in 400 IM finals at 2023 NEC Championships (placed 12th). Freshman Year: Went lifetime best in 100 free at Blue Devil Invite. Went lifetime best in 500 free at NEC Championships. Went lifetime best in 400 IM at NEC Championships. Part of fourth place 800 Free Relay at NEC Championships. 25th place in preliminaries in 500 free at NEC Championships. Part of fourth place 800 Free Relay at NEC Championships. 13th place in consolation final in 400 IM at NEC Championships. 12th place in consolation final in 200 fly at NEC Championships. Before SHU: Competed at New York State Championships in high school Member of the National Honors Society Has one sib