PHILADELPHIA - La Salle's Jamie Platt was promoted to the position of associate head swim coach entering the 2012 academic year. Platt, who had previously been the Explorers' assistant swim coach, joined the program in 2004 and is entering his ninth year at La Salle.

“I always have felt honored to be a part of La Salle University and the swimming program,” said Platt. “I am thankful for the support that Dr. Brennan, John Lyons, and Matt Nunnally have shown me with this awesome opportunity.”

“It is a well-deserved promotion for Jamie,” commented head swim coach Matt Nunnally. ”He has worked very hard in all areas of the program and has been a big reason for our success over the last few seasons.”

Among the most important of Platt's duties is recruiting. The men's and women's swimming and diving program has experienced a significant improvement in times and depth in the last four seasons and much of it can be attributed to Platt's extensive recruiting efforts. Platt is not afraid to recruit internationally and has brought to La Salle six swimmers from foreign countries for the 2012-13 season.

As a coach, Platt is responsible for the strokes and distance squads, producing multiple Atlantic 10 Champions in his time at La Salle. At the 2012 A10 Championship he saw victories from freshman Colleen Larkin in the 1650 yard freestyle, junior Liz Jordan in the 100 yard breaststroke, senior Ed Carnes in the 200 yard medley relay, and junior Blase Szyszko in the 200 yard medley relay, 100 yard breaststroke, and 200 yard breaststroke.

Platt's swimmers have broken many school records, as well. Jordan holds the 50 yard freestyle, 200 yard freestyle, 100 yard breaststroke, and the 200 yard medley, 200 yard freestyle, 400 yard freestyle, and 800 yard freestyle relays. Junior Jess Simunek broke the 100 yard butterfly record and swam the fly leg of the school record-breaking 200 medley relay. Carnes broke the 100 yard butterfly record at the 2011 A10 Championship and swam on the record-breaking 200 yard medley and 200 yard freestyle relays at the 2012 A10 Championship. Szyszko picked up the 200 yard breaststroke record as well as the 200 yard medley relay record.

Perhaps the most impressive of Platt's accomplishments is helping Szyszko qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Szyszko first qualified for the 200 meter breaststroke at the Middle Atlantic Senior Championships on July 22, 2011 after touching the wall in 2:20.72. Szyszko picked up his second cut in the 100 meter breaststroke at the Princeton Olympic Trials Qualifying Meet on March 4, 2012 after posting a time of 1:04.68, just one one-hundredth of a second under the cut.