By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
The 2024 offseason saw drastic changes for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. Legendary coach John Taffe announced his retirement after serving as the head coach of both swimming and diving programs for 35 years. During his tenure, Taffe won 11 NEWMAC championships and received 10 NEWMAC coach of the year honors.
Taking over for Taffe is assistant coach Howard Hinds. A full-time assistant for two years, Hinds now becomes the 10th head coach in program history. Along with assuming the top job, he is also now an assistant professor of physical education.
Hinds is a former swimmer at Springfield College and made his mark on the program. He established five program records in 1999 and was elected to the 2020 Springfield College Athletics Hall of Fame Class.
“Springfield is a place that’s close to my heart,” Hinds said. “[Springfield] taught me how to be an adult, how to be responsible and disciplined. To have this position is everything, and I want to see this program to get better.”
Springfield hired Skylar Wilder to replace Hinds as assistant coach. Wilder was formerly at Wheaton as an assistant coach, where she swam during her collegiate career. Wilder graduated in 2016 and started coaching for the Lyons in 2018. Her admiration from afar played a role in her seeking the Springfield assistant coach position.
“It’s a great program, it has a long history of being very competitive and having some great talent come out of here,” Wilder said. “I also like what Springfield stands for, in terms of supporting the whole student in the pool, on the field, in the classroom and setting everybody up for life. It’s more than just the sport and the wins and losses. It’s developing the athletes as a whole.”