Sion Brinn enters his eighth season as the head coach at Wright State and 13th season with the program overall. His numerous experiences in swimming have taken him all around the globe and have shown in the diversity and success that the Raider program has enjoyed in the pool.
During his tenure as both an assistant and as head coach, the Raiders have won a combined total of nine Horizon League Championships, with the men winning six times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) and the women three times. (2002, 2003, 2004). As the front man for the program, Wright State has won two league titles with both coming on the men's side.
Along with the nine championships, the Raiders have been runner-up twice on the men's side (2006, 2009) and three times for the women (2005, 2006, 2008). Brinn has also been recognized among his peers in the Horizon League as he was selected as the Men's Coach of the Year during each of his first three seasons at the helm, earning Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2005-06 and winning the award outright during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.
In 2012, swimmer Hermanus Botha, under the guidance of Brinn and his staff, was named the Horizon League Swimmer of the Meet and Swimmer of the Year as well as the Wright State Male Athlete of the Year. Additionally, four swimmers were selected to the Horizon League Winter All Academic Team--Chris Downing, Pawel Grzebala, Marta Kokot and Rasa Zilinskaite. The men's squad set four records while the women's team set two new marks.
The 2010-11 season, the Raiders posted impressive feats, setting 10 school records, breaking two Horizon League meet records and achieving seven National Qualifying standards (B cuts).
In 2009-10, the men won two events at the Horizon League Championships in the 800 free relay and Nathan Demchuk in the 200 back while the women claimed eight titles. Krystyna Wieczerzak won the 100 and 200 back along with the 400 IM while Molley Pipkorn was victorious in the 100 and 200 free. WSU also won the 200, 400 and 800 free relay events.
The 2008-09 men's squad won three events, led by Demchuk taking the 200 back and setting a new record in the 400 IM. The team of LeRoux Pelser, Hermanus Botha, Danny Munoz and Nathan Demchuk also gave a record-breaking performance in the 800 free relay. During the regular season, the men set a pair of WSU Natatorium records and added seven new school records to the books.
On the women's side, Wieczerzak set a pair of records at the league meet in winning the 200 back and 400 IM as did Pipkorn in the 200 free. Pipkorn also won the 500 free to earn the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year award. Overall, the women broke eight school records during the season, three by Pipkorn and two by Wieczerzak.
In 2007-08, the men captured five school records and set the new Horizon League standard in a pair of events. During the Horizon League Championships, the Green and Gold claimed seven individual titles and won the 400 and 800 free relays. Demchuk was named the Co-Swimmer of the Meet at the championships and garnered Co-Athlete of the Year honors at season's end.
As for the women, WSU claimed eight school records along with six new Horizon League Championship records and won six individual events and three relays. Jessica Weidert was the Swimmer of the Meet and Athlete of the Year and Wieczerzak was named the Newcomer of the Year.
Away from the pool, Weidert was the 2007-08 female winner of the Horizon League's Coleman Award, which is presented annually to the league's top senior student-athletes who best exemplify the dignity and high purpose of the Horizon League and its membership.
Overall, during Brinn's 11 years with the program, the men have claimed 65 league titles and currently hold two league meet records while the women have won 73 league titles and currently possess three league meet records. Wright State has also set 31 school and 15 pool records over that period and has been recognized by the Horizon League with five Athletes of the Year, six Swimmers of the Meet, seven Newcomer of the Year Awards and two Divers of the Meet.
Having achieved much success in the pool, a spillover effect in the classroom reflects the dedication of this program and its desire to perform. Both the men's and women's programs have been named to the Collegiate Swim Coaches Associate of America academic honor roll almost every year since his arrival to Wright State.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Brinn competed for that nation in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, finishing 12th in the 100 meter freestyle. He then competed for Great Britain in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, as part of the 400 medley relay team, finishing eighth, and as a member the 400 free relay team, placing ninth. Brinn was also the 1996 U.S. Open champion in the 50 and 100 free and was runner-up in the World Cup sprint category in 1997.
Brinn began his collegiate career at Indian River Junior College in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he competed from 1991-93 and was a 12-time junior college national champion. He then transferred to Louisiana State University where he was a five-time All-American in his two years there.
Over the past decade, Brinn has conducted many swim camps and stroke clinics along with competing as a world-ranked swimmer. Here at Wright State, Brinn has worked with and hosted a meet for the Special Olympics at the WSU Natatorium, with the Raider team acting as timers and coaches for the athletes.
Brinn graduated from LSU in 1996 with a degree in kinesiology. He and his wife, Melissa, were married in 2006 and reside in Dayton with their two daughters, Emerson and Avalie.
