Chelsea Piers Connecticut Announces Doug Lennox '09 as Head Swim Coach for Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club

STAMFORD, Conn. – Assistant Coach of the Princeton University men's swimming & diving team Doug Lennox '09 will be taking over as Head Coach at the Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club, as announced by the organization.

Lennox leaves a legacy of success at Princeton, both as a coach and a student-athlete. Since joining the men's swimming & diving coaching staff ahead of the 2017-18 season, Princeton swimmers have won 12 Ivy League event titles. They have also earned All-Ivy League honors 19 times, with 17 in individual events and two in relays.

The team improved each year under Lennox' guidance; in the 2019-20 season, Lennox helped guide Princeton to a second-place finish at the Ivy League Championships. Princeton won six event titles and Raunak Khosla was honored as High Point Swimmer of the Meet, Princeton's swimmers earned eight All-Ivy selections

Along with his accomplishments as a coach, Lennox had one of the most successful careers of any student-athlete to come through the Princeton men's swimming & diving program. A Bejing Olympian, Lennox holds program records in the 50 and 200 freestyle events along with the 100 butterfly. He also holds the second-fastest time in the 100 freestyle.

A five-time All-American and two-time Academic All-American at Princeton, Lennox helped lead the Tigers to three Ivy League championships, as well as two top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships. A senior captain, Lennox had two Top-10 individual finishes at the 2009 NCAA Championships, including a fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly — that remains the highest Princeton male finish at NCAAs this century.

Doug Lennox

Lennox also won the William Winston Roper Trophy in 2009, the highest honor given to a male Princeton senior student-athlete, and earned a Masters of Science in Teaching at Hunter College in 2012.

Lennox's career in swimming began more than twenty years ago in Illinois as an accomplished club and high school athlete. Upon retirement from the sport, Lennox earned his master's degree in Education and worked as a kindergarten teacher with the Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn. Lennox then transferred his passion for education to coaching age group, senior level and masters swimming at Asphalt Green in New York City. From there, Lennox sharpened his skill set as a college coach at New York University, Kenyon College and Princeton.

"I am excited to join the staff at Chelsea Piers Connecticut and to lead the already accomplished Chelsea Piers Aquatics Club into a very bright future," commented Lennox. "After my experiences at Princeton, I feel it is time for me to return to my roots and work with younger athletes. I am eager to bring my knowledge, experience and passion to age group & senior level student-athletes who are striving to compete at the collegiate & international levels."

"Our expansive search identified qualified candidates from across the country," commented Kevin Burton, Athletic Director, Chelsea Piers Connecticut. "Doug emerged as the clear choice based not only on his background as an elite athlete and accomplished coach at multiple levels, but also his evident commitment to educating and mentoring young athletes through sport."

"Doug is the first recruit by our new Athletic Director," commented Greta Wagner, Executive Director, Chelsea Piers Connecticut. "Chelsea Piers Connecticut is looking forward to expanding our outstanding coaching roster with talent like Doug. Our club is committed to providing the best to our members and competitive athletes. More than ever, it is important to have talented coaches that are leaders and can not only coach but serve as mentors to our young athletes."

Jamie Barone, who was the founding coach for the Chelsea Piers Aquatics Club, has known Lennox since 2012. For the last 9 years, Barone & Lennox have developed a profound respect and a strong rapport on deck at national and junior national level meets. Over that span, Jamie has shared his evolving vision for Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club with Lennox. As a result, the program that Barone has designed and the facility that he helped build is now being passed onto one of his most trusted & respected coaching peers.

Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club is recognized as one of the top 20 programs in the United States with more than 35 swimmers headed onto collegiate careers since 2016. The club was designated a "Silver Medal Club" in 2016 and climbed to "Gold Medal Club" status in 2020.

About Chelsea Piers Connecticut Teams
Chelsea Piers Connecticut provides an unprecedented opportunity for student-athletes to train and compete under one unified banner. Chelsea Piers athletes have full access to both off-surface training, led by certified trainers in our dedicated Competitive Team Training Center, and on-surface coaching in their sport of choice. Our world-class facilities attract top-level instructors from around the world, including seasoned and certified youth coaches with Olympic, NCAA and professional backgrounds. As a sports club, our goal is to prepare athletes for success, not only in their sport of choice through age-appropriate goal setting and training, but also in their lives through the development of essential teamwork and leadership skills.

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