Congratulations to WHS Swim/Dive Coach Jim McLaughlin MIAA Coach of the Year

Jim McLaughlin is the 3rd head coach in the 53 year history of the Weston Swim and Dive program, following Hall of Fame coaches Pete Foley and Claude Valle. Coach McLaughlin has been coaching Weston Swim and Dive since 2009, when he joined as an assistant under Claude Valle. In 2020 he took over as head coach of the program. Jim has served as the Mathematics Department Head for Weston Middle and High Schools since August, 2012. Since 2000, Mr. McLaughlin has served as a mathematics teacher at Weston High School.

Since he took over the program the team has a cumulative dual meet record of 117-15-2, the boys won three state championships in a row- 2022, 2023, and 2024 and the girls won two in a two back to back- 2024 and 2025. In addition, each team won a NISCA National Dual Meet Championship over that time, beating out schools from across the country.

Coach McLaughlin is proud to have continued the tradition of community building, athlete development, academic excellence, and inclusivity. In the history of the program, not a single athlete has been cut from the team, and much of its success is a direct result of this practice since many athletes who may have been cut as freshman end up as significant contributors as seniors.

About the MIAA Coach of the Year Award: This award seeks to recognize and honor “teacher coaches” who have had an impact on the lives of student-athletes, by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them develop self-confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic, and other skills or values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives. Award candidates should have a record of encouraging student-athletes to be well-rounded (i.e. displaying excellence in areas of scholarship, citizenship, fine arts, etc.), as well as a reputation, among their peers and the athletic community, for fair play, good sportsmanship, and the development of these attributes in their student-athletes.