The University of Arizona has reportedly found a new leader for the Wildcat swimming and diving program as he is expected to take over as UNLV's longtime coach Ben Lortz He was sworn in as head coach of the men's and women's teams on Thursday.
Rooltz comes to Tucson after an eight-year stint at UNLV, where he left behind a stellar resume for the Rebels, winning numerous conference titles and Coach of the Year honors.
Lolts takes the reins in Arizona Auggie Bushwas fired in early May after seven seasons with the Wildcats, where the swim-and-dive team mostly struggled.
Loorz was hired by UNLV in the summer of 2016 and gradually built the program into a conference title contender. The men's team rose from fourth place in 2017 to runner-up at the 2017 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships, followed by a second-place finish in 2020 before leading the Rebels to their first title in 26 years. Ta. 2021 saw record point totals.
The men's team continued to dominate the WAC, winning three more conference championships and winning their fourth straight in early March.
The UNLV women's team, which competes in the Mountain West Conference (MW), finished eighth in the conference championship in Lolts' first two seasons and ninth in 2019.
After just two seasons, the Rebels won the 2021 MW title in spectacular fashion, the program's first title in 16 years.
For these performances, Lolts was named WAC Men's Coach of the Year in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and Mountain West Women's Coach of the Year in 2021.
The Loorz have qualified individually for the NCAA Championships every season since 2017, including sending two women to the NCAA Championships. ruby howell and Blanca Boklos, to the 2024 championship. In 2023, the men's team qualified for the NCAA's 200 free relay.
Roorz has also coached swimmers, especially Polish sprinters, to success at international level. Kasia Wasica former volunteer assistant for the Rebels, who has developed into one of the world's 50 best female freestylers.
Prior to his second stint as head coach of the program at UNLV, Lolts served as head coach at Cal State East Bay for six seasons, leading the Pioneers to three Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference (PCSC) championships. In 2014 he finished 15th at the NCAA Division II Championships.
In his first stint with the Rebels, Roorz served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons (2007-2010), helping the men's team to three consecutive conference championships.
He also spent two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Utah and before that spent the 2004-2005 season as a volunteer assistant with the California women's team.
A collegiate swimmer at American River College in Sacramento, Loorz earned a bachelor's degree in music from USC in 1999 and a master's degree in communication science from Utah State in 2008.
Loorz takes over an Arizona State team that has struggled in recent seasons, with the 2023 men's team finishing 32nd at the men's NCAA Championships, its lowest finish since 1976. The Wildcats ranked 27th in 2024, but 13 of their 19 points came from diving.
The women's team failed to record a point at the 2024 NCAA Championships and has only earned a total of 7.5 swimming points over the past four seasons.
At the end of the 2023-24 season, Bush's staff also included assistants. Amanda Beard, Lorik Fink and Chad Castilloadded head diving coach Dwight Dumais and his assistant Daniel Pinto.
Arizona will join the Big 12 Conference next season after the Pac-12 disbanded last summer.
