James Koval to Join Swimming and Diving Staff

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Carnegie Mellon University men's and women's swimming and diving head coach Matt Kinney has announced James Koval as the next full-time assistant coach for both programs. Koval joins the Tartan staff after serving as a club coach for Seneca Valley Swim Club since June 2020.

A former Division I swimmer at West Virginia University with a degree in chemical engineering, Koval has more than four years coaching experience at the youth level between swim clubs and high school. Koval was a distance freestyler and currently stands third in WVU history in the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard events. Following his senior season, Koval was named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A 2018 graduate, Koval also earned his master's degree in chemical engineering in 2020.

"James brings with him a great passion for swimming and diving, as well as a highly organized and focused personality," said Kinney. "His goal of assisting the continued development of our rapidly progressing team, combines perfectly with his desire to learn more about what Carnegie Mellon has to offer and how he can continue his coaching progress. James was a dedicated student-athlete as a distance swimmer at WVU, and is excited to share in the development with assisting our athletes on their own academic and athletic paths. We are excited to have James join the Tartan coaching staff and family."

While working with swim clubs around the Pittsburgh area and in Morgantown, West Virginia, as well as Laurel Highlands High School, Koval has helped mentor 25 individual district qualifiers with seven school records with the Laurel Highlands girls placing third at the WPIAL Championships.

"I feel very lucky and excited to be joining the Tartan staff," said Koval. "I could not imagine a better place to begin my collegiate coaching career than Carnegie Mellon, nor a better person to learn from as a coach and leader than Coach Kinney. The past year and a half has brought challenges for everyone, but if there is a silver lining, it helped me realize the healing qualities of this sport and how much I value the opportunity to work with athletes every day. I can't wait to meet the team and get started!"