Bio

Brian Hein is the head coach of Penn State Altoona's men's and women's swimming program, as well as the department's Director of Aquatics. He became the swim program's sixth head coach in its NCAA Division III era when he assumed the role in September 2025.

From 1999 to 2022, Hein held several coaching positions at both the club and collegiate levels. During this span, his club coaching experience included being the head coach for the Razorback Aquatic Club (Ark.), Dayton Raiders (Ohio), WTRC Sharks (Ohio), and Delta Ducks (Miss.). Collegiately, Hein held coaching positions at Lock Haven and Delta State, where he was a three-time New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference Coach of the Year and two-time American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of Excellence.

Across both his club and college coaching background, Hein has recruited and developed over 1,000 swimmers, including over 60 NCAA Division II All-Americans and over 20 US Olympic Trial qualifiers.

From 2022-25, Hein served as the head swim coach at the State College Area YMCA. In this position, he recruited, assessed, and coached a team of over 200 swimmers while also hiring, training, and supervising assistant coaches and managing a team budget and training plans.

Hein also had a standout career as a swimmer himself. In high school, he was the Nebraska state champion in the 100 Freestyle, 200 IM, and 400 Freestyle Relay swims. Hein’s college career was highlighted by being a Division II All-American as a freshman at Ashland University while also taking Penn-Ohio Conference Male Swimmer of the Year honors. He was also a conference finalist for the University of Nebraska and will be inducted into the Lincoln Southeast Athletics Hall of Fame this October.