Penn State Hires Mike Smiechowski from St. Bonaventure as Associate Coach
Penn State on Thursday announced the hiring of Mike Smiechowski as an associate head coach. Smiechowski stepped down from his role as the head coach at St. Bonaventure for the job on head coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron’s staff.
Smiechowski was the Bonnies’ head coach from 2022-26. He helped the women’s team to its highest finish at the Atlantic 10 Championships since 2018, mentored 2026 A10 Women’s Swimmer of the Year Anna Forjan and helped the men’s team finish runner-up in 2025, its highest finish in nine years.
“I want to thank the entire St. Bonaventure community for taking a chance on me four years ago and embracing me as a part of their own,” Smiechowski said in a release by St Bonaventure. “Bona’s Swim and Dive has the best alumni support and community I have ever worked with, and it was a privilege to lead the program. Although it is bittersweet to leave, I feel proud that we were able to leave this team better than we found it. Thank you to all the athletes that I have had the honor of coaching, and all the assistant swim and dive coaches who dedicated so much of their time and energy to helping this program grow and succeed. I am excited for the future of SBU Swim and Dive.”
Smiechowski was the head coach at Alfred State college in New York from 2019-22, leading it to an AMCC/E8 men’s title and in 2022 and the women’s title in 2020, the first in program history. The 2020 men’s team went unbeaten in dual meets.
Smiechowski swam at UNC Wilmington, graduating in 2012. He led the team to four straight CAA Championships, serving as a team captain. He was an assistant coach at Villanova in 2013-14 and Towson in 2014-15. He’s also coached Sint Maarten’s national team since 2018-19, mentoring its first World Championship qualifier in 2018.
