Anthony Harris returns to South Dakota as associate head coach of swimming and diving ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Harris spent six seasons previously between 2005-2011 as an assistant coach alongside head coach Jason Mahowald.
Harris comes back to Vermillion after three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.Â
Harris' time at Arkansas saw sprinter Anna Hopkin produce one of the best careers in Razorbacks history. Hopkin, a two-time NCAA All-American and national runner-up in the 100 free, was named the 2020 SEC Woman's Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year. Hopkin, a seventh-place finisher in the 50 free at the 2019 World Championships, broke four individual school records and was a part of four record breaking relay teams. Anna went on to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games for Great Britain where she captured a gold medal in world record fashion as part of the 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay Team.
Harris began his Arkansas tenure on May 17, 2017, after serving as an associate head coach during the 2016-17 season for both the men’s and women’s programs at the University of North Dakota.
Before being promoted to associate head coach at UND, Harris was an assistant coach the previous four years for the Fighting Hawks. During his five seasons in Grand Forks, Harris help lead the women’s program to a 44-25 overall record, including a 9-2 mark in his final year. During the 2016-17 season, Harris helped the women’s program pick up its best Western Athletic Conference finish since the WAC reinstated the sport for the 2013-14 season, with a fifth-place showing at the conference championships in February.
After going a combined 10-21 (.323) during his first year at North Dakota in 2012-13, the men’s and women’s programs combined to go 59-32 (.648) over his final four years.
Prior to North Dakota, the St. Paul, Minnesota, native also recorded stops at Ohio University for one season and the University of South Dakota for six seasons, where he coached a combined 45 All-Americans. Harris has coached four swimmers at the US Olympic Trials, one while at Ohio and three at North Dakota.
Harris was a skillful collegiate swimmer at the University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point, where he was an 18-time conference champion, six-time All-American, three-time All-American Honorable Mention and named senior captain and MVP.
Following his time as a competitive swimmer, Harris began his coaching career at the University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point as a volunteer assistant coach for one season (2002-03), while finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. He later took a graduate assistant position at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he served as the assistant coach for two years while earning his Master of Science in Sport Management.
