Iowa State’s outlook in the Big 12 changes dramatically this season with the departure of the University of Texas, the conference’s dominant program for the last decade, to the SEC. Meanwhile, the University of Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah join the conference with women’s swimming programs. Arizona and Arizona State also have new head coaches this season.
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.
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