Chris Heckman has continued the success of the men's and women's swimming and diving teams since taking over in 2021. Heckman's coaching tenure includes three-straight women's Empire 8 titles to push the Golden Flyers streak to winning the last six.
Under Heckman's direction, diver Alexa Rizzo took third place on the 1-meter board in 2023-24 at the NCAA Division III Championships.
In Heckman's first season as head coach in 2021-22, he guided both the men's and women's teams to win their respective Empire 8 titles. 2021-22 also saw Taylor Robey earn all-american honors in the 50 freestyle, along with Allie Norwood in both 1 and 3-meter diving.
Heckman and the Nazareth coaching staff were recognized as co-Coaching staff of the year in 2021 on the men's side. On the women's side, Heckman and his staff have won the Coaching Staff of the Year award in each of the last three years.
One male diver (Jake Smith in 21-22), and three female divers have been Empire 8 divers of the year (Alexa Rizzo, 23-24), (Elizabeth Tripp, 22-23) and (Allie Norwood, 21-22). In addition, Taylor Robey was the Swimmer of the Year in Heckman's first season.
After a stint at Medaille College that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Heckman took over at Nazareth in 2021 and guided both teams to Empire 8 Conference titles. For the men's team, it marked the Golden Flyers second straight championship while the women's team won for the fourth year in a row. Heckman and his staff were recognized as as E8 Coaching Staffs of the Year.
Heckman's 2021-22 campaign culminated with a pair of All-American awards. After two straight cancellations due to the pandemic, the NCAA Division III Championships were contested in Indianapolis and diver Allie Norwood and sprint freestyler Taylor Robey each landed on the All-American podium. Norwood finished eighth in 1-meter and 15th in 3-meter diving and Robey placed fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.
A graduate of SUNY Brockport, Heckman swam there for four seasons and was chosen in 2019 to start a program at Medaille College in Buffalo. The Mavericks were limited to just one meet in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Medaille, Heckman also served Strength and Conditioning Coach for the 19-team athletic department.
Before joining the staff at Medaille, Heckman spent one season as Assistant Swim Coach at Stevens Institute of Technology, a former member of the Empire 8 Conference. In the 2018-19 season, Heckman helped the Ducks to the E8 title in men's swimming and diving and a runner-up finish in women's swimming and diving.
Heckman's experience also includes two seasons as an assistant coach at Brockport and seven years as a swim instructor and lifeguard in his hometown of Ballston Spa, N.Y.
As a swimmer at Brockport, Heckman competed in the sprint freestyle and butterfly events and earned an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and a Master's degree in Athletic Administration.
