NORTHFIELD, Vt. - After guiding the Norwich University men's and women's swimming & diving programs through one of the most successful eras in school history, Head Coach Jennifer Cournoyer is stepping down from her position following seven seasons at the helm.

Cournoyer's final campaign came during the 2025-26 season, when the Cadets completed another sweep of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships and captured both the men's and women's team titles for the fourth consecutive year.  The performance capped a remarkable run that saw Norwich become the standard in the conference, rewrite record books across both programs, and develop a long list of championship performers and major award winners.

"For seven years, I have had the privilege of building something special at Norwich University, a program defined not just by results in the pool, but by the growth, character, and resilience of our student-athletes," Cournoyer said.  "The time is right for me to pursue a new chapter.  This decision comes from a place of confidence and excitement for what is next.

"I am proud of our student-athletes' growth and achievements, both as competitors and as individuals.  I am thankful for the meaningful relationships I have built and for everyone who supported us.  I wish the team nothing but continued success.  I leave knowing the foundation is strong.  Norwich Forever."

Over her tenure, Cournoyer helped lead Norwich to nine GNAC team championships between the two programs, including eight combined titles over her final four seasons.  The Norwich men claimed GNAC crowns in 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, while the women captured four straight titles from 2023 through 2026, completing the program's first championship four-peat since the turn of the century.

"The departure of Coach Jen Cournoyer marks the end of a remarkable era for our swimming and diving program, athletic department, and university," said Director of Athletics Ed Hockenbury.  "In her tenure as our head coach, the team has seen unprecedented team and individual success in the pool, and we are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished.  In addition, our swimmers and divers have earned countless accolades for their academic successes, and have been consistently recognized for achievements within the Corps of Cadets and ROTC.

"The student-athletes deserve the credit for these accomplishments, but there is no question that Coach Cournoyer, with a big assist from Assistant Coach Chris Delmas, has fostered an environment where her athletes are pushed, encouraged, mentored, and guided within a team culture that is about excellence, and that emphasizes the values of our university.  She has worked incredibly hard as our coach, and also as the Aquatics Director, a position that is often not noteworthy, but that is important and very challenging.

"She has been a model of consistency, effort, reliability, and dignity, a generous colleague, and an outstanding leader and role model for our young men and women.  Thanks to the amazing program she has built, Norwich Swimming and Diving is recognized throughout the region, and we intend to honor her legacy by maintaining the strengths of our program into the future.  We are tremendously grateful for all she has done, and we wish her well as she moves into the next chapter of her life."

Cournoyer arrived in Northfield ahead of the 2019-20 season and quickly set the foundation for what would become a championship era.  In her first season, the Norwich men captured their third straight GNAC title since the conference began sponsoring a men's championship, while the women established new program and conference records and continued to reassert themselves among the region's top teams.  At the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championships that winter, the men placed third out of 14 teams, while the women recorded their best finish since 2011.

After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020-21 campaign, the Cadets began building toward the most dominant stretch of Cournoyer's tenure.  The 2021-22 season produced breakout performances across both teams, including GNAC Rookie of the Year honors for Benjamin Stark on the men's side and several NEISDA All-New England performances across the roster.  That season helped set the stage for the championship breakthroughs that followed.

In 2022-23, Cournoyer guided both Norwich programs back to the top of the GNAC.  The men captured their first conference title since 2020, while the women secured their first GNAC crown since 2003.  Norwich swept the GNAC Men's and Women's Coaching Staff of the Year awards that season, as both programs combined for 26 All-Conference selections, 16 individual GNAC champions, and 17 ECAC qualifiers.

The 2022-23 championship meet also marked the start of a run of major individual honors that defined the next several seasons.  Martin Adlianitski was named GNAC Men's Swimmer of the Year, Jack Brennan earned GNAC Men's Diver of the Year recognition, Adrian Riendeau was selected as GNAC Men's Rookie of the Year, and Nikky Avise claimed GNAC Women's Swimmer of the Year honors.

From there, Norwich continued to elevate its place within the conference and region.  In 2023-24, the Cadets again swept the GNAC team championships, with both programs producing major award winners and championship performances throughout the meet.  Will Thompson was named GNAC Men's Swimmer of the Year, Kristian Adlianitski earned GNAC Men's Rookie of the Year honors, Aidan Grady was selected as GNAC Men's Diver of the Year, and Reilly Laitala captured GNAC Women's Diver of the Year recognition.

That season also brought a historic breakthrough on the boards, as Grady and Laitala became the first NCAA Diving Regional qualifiers in their respective program histories.  Their achievements reflected one of the hallmarks of Cournoyer's tenure: the development of complete swimming and diving programs, with championship-level production coming from both the lanes and the boards.

The 2023-24 campaign also saw Stark become the first Norwich student-athlete from any sport to earn GNAC Athlete of the Year for Men's Sports.  One year later, Thompson continued that tradition, becoming the second straight Cadet swimmer to receive the conference's top men's honor after a decorated career that included 22 GNAC titles, 27 All-Conference honors, and three consecutive GNAC team championships.

Cournoyer's final two seasons further cemented Norwich's place atop the GNAC.  In 2024-25, both programs claimed their third straight conference championships, with the men producing a 472-point showing and the women totaling 917 points to edge Simmons University and complete the program's first three-peat since 2001.  Kristian Adlianitski was named GNAC Men's Swimmer of the Year, Drew Bylow earned GNAC Men's Rookie of the Year honors, and Laitala repeated as GNAC Women's Diver of the Year.

The 2025-26 season brought one final championship sweep and one of the most dominant GNAC Championship performances in Norwich history.  The Cadets combined for 33 event victories across the three-day meet at the WPI Sports & Recreation Center in Worcester, Mass., while nearly sweeping the league's top individual honors.

The Norwich men won 22 of 25 events and totaled 462.5 points, more than doubling second-place University of Saint Joseph.  Bylow was named GNAC Men's Swimmer of the Year after a record-breaking championship meet, while Gabe Wettig earned GNAC Men's Rookie of the Year honors.  Their awards extended a multi-year run of Norwich success in those categories, giving the Cadets four straight GNAC Men's Swimmer of the Year selections and five straight GNAC Men's Rookie of the Year honorees.

The Norwich women added 11 event victories and finished with 1,058.5 points, pulling more than 350 points clear of second place.  Freshman Delaney Allen became the first GNAC women's swimmer in more than 15 years to earn both Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, while Laitala capped her decorated career by earning GNAC Women's Diver of the Year recognition for the third straight year.

Cournoyer's final season also included 22 total All-Conference selections between the men's and women's programs, 17 GNAC champions, and nine ECAC qualifiers.  Adrian Riendeau was named Norwich's Male Senior Athlete of the Year, Laitala received the Garrity Award, and Brandy Lewis was honored with the Charles Crosby Courage Award.

Across seven seasons, Norwich swimmers and divers collected a long list of conference and regional accomplishments under Cournoyer's guidance.  The men's program produced GNAC Swimmer of the Year honorees in Martin Adlianitski, Will Thompson, Kristian Adlianitski, and Drew Bylow; GNAC Diver of the Year winners in Jack Brennan and Aidan Grady; and GNAC Rookie of the Year selections in Benjamin Stark, Adrian Riendeau, Kristian Adlianitski, Drew Bylow, and Gabe Wettig.

On the women's side, the Cadets produced GNAC Swimmer of the Year honorees in Nikky Avise and Delaney Allen, GNAC Diver of the Year recognition for Reilly Laitala in three consecutive seasons, and GNAC Rookie of the Year honors for Allen.  The women's program also returned to championship form under Cournoyer, capturing four straight GNAC titles from 2023 to 2026 after not having won the conference championship since 2003.

In total, Cournoyer's teams produced dozens of All-Conference performers, numerous GNAC champions, multiple NEISDA All-New England selections, and a steady stream of ECAC qualifiers.  Norwich swimmers and divers also broke GNAC, program, and Goodyear Pool records throughout her tenure, with several marks reset multiple times as the program continued to improve year after year.

Beyond the championship banners and record boards, Cournoyer's impact was also evident in the development of student-athletes who excelled academically, athletically, and in leadership roles across campus.  Norwich's swimming & diving programs earned recognition from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America, including Scholar All-America Team honors, while individual student-athletes collected academic, service, and leadership awards at the university and conference levels.

Before arriving at Norwich, Cournoyer built a long and accomplished coaching résumé across collegiate swimming & diving.  She spent 16 seasons at the University of Vermont, serving as associate head coach from 2010 to 2019 after previously working as an assistant and volunteer coach.  She also served as head coach at Lock Haven University and King's College in Pennsylvania.

A former NCAA swimmer and team captain at Bloomsburg University, Cournoyer earned her bachelor's degree from Bloomsburg in 1995 and later completed her M.Ed. at the University of Vermont in 2019.  In addition to her coaching role at Norwich, she has remained active in the aquatic community as the Aquatics Director for Goodyear Pool, and also served as the department's Senior Woman Administrator during the 2025-26 season.  Her husband, Gerry, is a 1990 Norwich graduate and former Cadet swimmer.

During her time at Norwich, Cournoyer often described coaching as an opportunity to help student-athletes grow far beyond their sport.  Her approach centered on meeting athletes where they were, helping them push beyond what they believed was possible, and encouraging balance amid the academic, athletic, Corps, ROTC, and campus commitments that shape the Norwich student-athlete experience.

That philosophy became the foundation for one of the strongest championship runs in Norwich Athletics history.  Under Cournoyer, the Cadets became not only consistent winners in the pool, but also a model of depth, development, and sustained excellence across both the men's and women's programs.

A national search for Norwich's next head men's and women's swimming & diving coach will begin immediately.