Iowa State Hires Former Washington State Head Coach Matt Leach As Next Head Coach

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

Iowa State has filled its head coaching position as Matt Leach was announced as the program’s next head coach on May 1.

“I am honored to be the next Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Iowa State University,” Leach said. “Coach (Duane) Sorenson has been an absolute pillar of this program and I am thrilled to be named his successor. I want to sincerely wish him well in his retirement and hope to see him on the pool deck.

“I would like to thank President Wendy Wintersteen, Jamie Pollard and Calli Sanders for allowing me to lead the next generation of Cyclones,” he added. “I am humbled and extremely excited to get to work and help lead, grow, and inspire these student-athletes into the next chapter of success. Go Cyclones!”

Leach most recently spent the last six seasons as the head coach of Washington State, which like Iowa State also is a women’s-only program. While at Washington State, Leach had an NCAA qualifier in each season, with the exception of the COVID cancelation. This past season, Emily Lundgren earned a ‘B’ final swim and finished 14th in the 200 breast in finals. That was the program’s first NCAA finalist since 2007.

Prior to arriving at Washington State in 2018, Leach spent three years at Indiana State where he started the program in 2015 and the team began competing in the 2016-2017 season. Leach was named the 2017-18 Missouri Valley Coach of the Year, the program’s second season ever.

Before starting the program at Indiana State, Leach spent six seasons with Wyoming, including the final four as associate head coach working primarily with the sprinters. Leach began his coaching career at LSU as a graduate assistant and then spent two years with LSU as a volunteer assistant.

Leach was a student-athlete at Indiana University where he graduated in winter 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental management. He earned his graduate degree in environmental planning and management from LSU in 2007.

Leach takes over the program after longtime head coach Duane Sorenson announced his retirement in March. Sorenson spent 27 years with the program.

The Iowa State women finished 8th out of 8 teams at the 2024 Big 12 Championships. The conference added BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston this past season. The Big 12 will see Texas depart for the SEC but also will add Arizona State, Arizona, and Utah for the 2024-2025 season. Leach has familiarity with the addition of ASU, Arizona, and Utah as they arrive from the Pac-12.

Washington State was the lone swimming school to be left in the Pac-12 after the major conference realignment this past offseason. The Washington State women’s swim program has since joined the Mountain West conference for the next two seasons but there is still some uncertainty with the Pac-12 break up.

SwimSwam: Iowa State Hires Former Washington State Head Coach Matt Leach As Next Head Coach