Calanog Named Associate Head Coach of Men’s Swimming
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina swimming & diving head coach Jeff Poppell has announced the hiring of Jason Calanog to his staff as the new men’s associate head swimming coach. Calanog previously spent nine years at Texas A&M where he served in the same role and helped lead A&M’s men to eight top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a top-10 team finish in 2021.
“I am truly excited that Jason has decided to join us at the University of South Carolina, and I have the utmost respect and confidence in his ability to help our men’s team climb the national collegiate rankings,” said Poppell. “I’ve known Jason for quite some time now and have always admired the passion and energy that he brings to the pool deck. His success on both the NCAA and world stages speaks for itself as he has developed some of the top athletes in our sport from NCAA Champions to World Championship medalists. We look forward to welcoming him, his wife Tracey, and their two boys to Columbia!”
In 2018 and 2020, Calanog played an instrumental role in the Aggies’ runner-up team finish at the SEC Championships, their best in school history. Also serving as the director of men’s recruiting, Calanog landed top-10 recruiting classes in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Under Calanog’s leadership in 2023 and 2024, Baylor Nelson led the Aggies, earning the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy in consecutive years as the top point scorer at the SEC Championships. Nelson became just the second swimmer in program history to earn the award following in the footsteps of Shaine Casas who also won the award consecutively in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Casas was named the SEC and NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year in 2021, the only Aggie swimmer to win the awards, after winning three NCAA individual titles in the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 individual medley events.
Calanog’s athletes have competed in Olympic finals and several have won medals in major international competitions, including gold, silver, and bronze medals at the FINA World Championships and the Pan American Games.
Prior to his time in College Station, Calanog served as the senior assistant swimming coach with The Bolles School and Bolles Sharks in Jacksonville, Fla. (2007-15) There he served as the primary coach for the World Junior Champion, Junior World Record Holder, and Swimming World Male High School Swimmer of the Year Caeleb Dressel.
Calanog served as volunteer assistant coach for then-head coach Sergio Lopez and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2006-07) and helped the Mountaineer men’s team to the 2007 Big East team title.
Calanog, who is married to the former Tracey Mascola, earned his bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies with a concentration in business administration, communications and economics from West Virginia in 2007.
For all the latest South Carolina swimming and diving information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockSwmDive).
