The 2025-26 season will be Coach John Spadafina’s 12th season as the head coach of the Pioneers. Over the past 11 seasons, Spadafina and the swimming & diving program have continued to reach program milestones.
In his time as a Pioneer,
Sacred Heart swimming & diving’s all-time program leader in dual meet wins.
Longest tenured swimming & diving head coach in program history.
110 school records set since 2014.
3 CSCAA Individual Scholastic All American
22 x CSCAA Team Scholastic All-American honors.
92% of athletes on the all-time top 5 time & scoring list.
CSCAA National Invitational Qualifiers & Scorer’s 2024 & 2025
NCAA Zone A Diving Qualifiers 2024 & 2025
CSCAA Open Water National Championship qualifiers, 2023,2024 & 2025. Top 50 finisher 2024
2025 MAAC Conference Team placed 4th (inaugural season in the MAAC)
2 MAAC Champions
1 MAAC Athlete Performer of the meet. Sinclair Yadao (Diving)
1 MAAC Rookie Performer of the meet. Sinclair Yadao (Diving)
1 MAAC Diving Coach Staff of the Year (Adam Vance, 2025)
2021 Northeast Conference team placed 4th.
ECAC Winter Championship second runner-up, 2016.
ECAC Winter Championship Champion 200 free Lauren Somers.
ECAC Winter Championship Meet Record, 200 free Lauren Somers 2017
4 Northeast Conference Champions.
2022 Northeast Conference team scored the most points in program history.
NEC Diving Coaching staff of the meet, Adam Vance 2022, 2023, 2024.
ECAC Winter Champions Diving 3, McNicholas (2) Martin (1).
ECAC Winter Championships Diver of the Meet, Martin 2019, McNicholas 2022.
ECAC Winter Championship Diving Coaching Staff of the Meet, Adam Vance 2019 & 2022.
Most Duel meet wins in one season, 9 (2016, 9-2).
2022 Northeast Conference Winter Sportsmanship Award Team recipient.
2023 & 2024 Northeast Conference Winter Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient, Olivia McNicholas.
2023 & 2025 Sacred Heart Athletic Department Athletic Director Student-Athlete of the Year, Kelly Bartnett ’23 & Lola Barrett ’25
2022 Sacred Heart Athletic Department Scholar-Athlete Award winner, Nicole Tingley.
Alvin Clinkscales Unsung Hero Award Winner’s Alyssa Farnsworth ’15 E. Peter ’21, M. Mclaughlin ‘22.
2024 Sacred Heart Athletic Department Lucy Cox Alumni Award, Olivia McNicholas.
The 2024-25 season with the first season the Pioneers competed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). In dual meet action the Pio’s had an 8-5 season, which is the second highest wins in program history. They placed 2nd at the Gompei Invitational in December for the second straight year behind Bryant University. Throughout the season, including the MAAC championships, the Pio’s set 10 program records, and 3 pool records. The Pio’s placed 4th at the champs. Lola Barrett ’25 qualified for her second NCAA zones on both 1M and 3M Diving and 1st year teammate Sinclair Yadao qualified for her first NCAA zones on 1 meter, earning them Scholastic All Americans with GPAs over 3.5. Sophia Velleco competed at the CSCAA Open Water National championships where she placed 49th in the country. Sophia at the MAAC champs placed 2nd in the 500 Free, 200 Free and 200 Fly. The 200 Fly she broke a 14-year-old record held by Katie Marshall. Sophomore Emma Haas made her 2nd appearance at the CSCAA National Invitational in Ocala Florida qualifying in the 50 Fly. 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 Head Diving Coach Adam Vance MAAC Diving Coach of the year, his 4th in a row including the 3 in a row from the NEC.
The 2023-24 Pioneers placed 5th at the Northeast Conference Championships, the second highest in program history. Pioneer team members set 19 team records throughout the season - 12 alone at the NEC championships. The Pioneers had eight swimmers qualify for the CSCAA Open Water Championships and had one swimmer qualify, compete, and score at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships. Emma Haas placed 19th in the country in the 50-butterfly earning the Pio’s 52nd place at the meet. For the third year in a row, Head Diving Coach Adam Vance won the diving staff of the year award. Lola Barrett was the NEC Diver of the Year, winning both 1M & 3M boards which qualified her for NCAA Zones. Her 3M score was a NEC Record. Sophia Velleco was an all-conference swimmer in the 500 setting a school record and placing third. Rosemery Nieto placed third in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke events, breaking her school record. Olivia McNicholas placed 2nd in both 1M & 3M capping off a banner career earning. She is the second most NEC Diver of the Week recipient with 16.
The 2022-23 Pioneers scored the second most points in NEC history with 377. Olivia McNicholas won the 3M, while teammate Lola Barrett was a Bronze Medalist on the 1M. Adam Vance was Diving Coach of the Year for the second season in a row which also goes with his ECAC Winter Championship Coaching Staff of the Meet & McNicholas’ Diver of the Meet. Kelly Bartnett scored the second most points at the NEC Championships in SHU history, placing fourth in the 200 Free, setting the school record with a 1:50.90, fourth in the 100 free 51.21, and seventh in the 50 Free. School records fell in the 100 & 200 breaststroke, with Rosemery Nieto claiming 1:04.77 at the ECAC Winter Champs and 2:21.58 at the NEC Championships, where she placed fifth. The Pioneers compiled 40 lifetime best times and 60 season-best times in the 2022-23 campaign.
The 2021-22 Pioneers placed fifth at the Northeast Conference Championships with a program-best 378.5 points. Nicole Tingley ’22 placed third in the 200 IM breaking the school record, and placed third in the 400 IM, earning herself All-NEC, joining team members Megan McLaughlin ’22 who placed third in three-meter diving, and Natalie Carbone ’24, who placed second in one-meter board. Olivia McNicholas won the Northeast Conference one meter diving event, becoming the second SHU diver to win a NEC Championship. The Pioneers also were awarded the Winter NEC Sportsmanship Award for women’s swimming & diving. The Pioneers broke four school records and performed 24 new all-time top 5 performances in the 2021-22 season. That attributed to 56 career-best performances. SHU placed 31 members in finals, the most in its 24-year history in the Northeast Conference.
The 2020-2021 season marked unprecedented times as one of the most successful campaigns in SHU swimming & diving history. In November 2020, Kelly Bartnett competed at the US Open, in the 50m Freestyle in Richmond, Va. On January 23, 2021, SHU hosted the second NCAA Swimming & Diving Competition since the start of the pandemic in the Northeast and first in the Northeast Conference and other peer conferences vs. local Central Connecticut State University. The Pioneers ended up 3-2 in the shortened 2021 season, with victories over NEC schools Merrimack College, St. Francis Brooklyn, and cross-town rivals Fairfield University, solidifying their fourth winning season in five years. The Pioneer team members also broke five school records, starting with Olivia McNicholas breaking an 11-year-old one-meter diving record vs. Fairfield University. Seventeen Pioneers also earned themselves a spot on the all-time top performance list.
At the Northeast Conference Championships, the Pioneers placed fourth, which ties any team in program history and the highest place since the conference expanded to eight or more teams. Pioneer Divers scored the highest points (93) in program history and the most points at the Northeast Conference Championships. Olivia McNicholas Placed second on the one-meter board, earning All-Conference Second Team honors. The them scored 375 points and had 27 finalists, all program bests.
In 2017-18, Lauren Somers set the 200 free meet record with a time of 1:51.37 at the ECAC Winter Championships, Margaret Flaherty placed third at 2018 NECs in 1,650 (17:14.79), breaking a 14-year-old record and followed it up with a second place in 2019. Jillian Crosby, in 2015 placed second at NECs in the 500 Free (5:02.02) rounding out our podium winners. As a team, SHU placed third overall at the ECAC Winter Championships in 2016.
Under Spadafina, the 2016-17 team went 9-2, which carried the most wins in program history, defeating LIU-Brooklyn, Iona, and Assumption College for the first time in school history. This was also the first time in school history that SHU swimming & diving had an above .500 winning percentage. In 2014-15 & 2015-16, Spadafina’s teams had their best time improvements over 90% and set over 15 school records, not to mention defeating cross-town rival Fairfield University for the first time ever and improving in the standings at the Northeast Conference.
Before SHU, Spadafina served as the Assistant Swim coach at Central Connecticut State University from 2010-2014. The Blue Devils had 72 NEC All-Conference, an NCAA B Qualifier, & CSCAA Scholastic All-American. The Blue Devils finished no lower than fourth in the four years while at CCSU. He was heavily involved in recruiting and the alumni foundation.
Coach Spadafina has a 20-year USA swimming coaching career. He is the owner of Wolfpack Swimming. He has coached Swimmers at all levels ranging from novice to senior National Qualifiers. In May 2021, Spadafina’ s athletes qualified for the Olympic Trials in Omaha. Coach Spadafina sat on CT Swimming’s Board of Directors as Coach Representative from 2010-2012 and currently sits on CT Swimming’s Senior Committee 2016-present. Coach Spadafina was also the Northeast Conference Coaches Competition Committee representative from 2018-2025 and has been selected as a coach for the CSCAA Mentoring Program for the 6th year in a row.
Spadafina, a 2003 Central Connecticut State University graduate with a BA in Arts in History, Spadafina was a member of Central Connecticut’s Men’s swimming & diving team and served as team captain. Spadafina resides in Wallingford, Conn., with his wife Amber and daughter Chloe.
