Updated May 14, 2025
Mason Norman was named head coach of Ohio's swimming and diving program on March 23, 2018.
During the 2024-25 season, Norman coached the Bobcats to a second-place MAC Championship finish, the highest since 2013. He received MAC Coach of the Year Honors. Ohio saw several school records fall throughout the season, including the 50-, 100- and 200-yard free, 100- and 200-yard breaststroke as well as the 200- and 400-yard medley relays and 400-yard free relay. Zita Szoke won the 50-,100- and 200-yard free events and Casadie DiBetta won the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events. Norman also coached Allison Schrank, DiBetta, Szoke and Caroline Dunigan to a first place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Gabrielle McKee, Emily Ellsworth and Dunigan received First Team All-MAC honors while Julia Strine and Morgan Brown received Second Team All-MAC honors.
Szoke qualified for the NCAA Championships, where she was the first Ohio swimmer to earn All-American honors since 2000 and had the highest NCAA finish since 1995. Szoke finished 11
th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.62 and set a new MAC record. Soke also placed 20
th in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:44.54 to set a new MAC record. She received CSCAA Second Team All-American Honors.
Twenty individuals were named to the Academic All-MAC Team. In addition Dunigan, DiBetta, Ellsworth and Szoke were named CSC Academic All-District. Ohio, once again, received CSCAA Scholar All-American Award honors for the fall semester.
2023-24 saw the Bobcats most successful season under Norman to date. With the Bobcats hosting the MAC Championships in Athens, Ohio placed third overall and saw a number of school records fall in the process. Ohio set school records in the 200-yard medley relay and the 800 free relay. Casadie DiBetta was crowned champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, marking the first time since the 1996-97 season that Ohio won back-to-back championships in the event. DiBetta also won the 200-yard breaststroke, becoming the first Bobcat to win a MAC title in the 200-yard breaststroke since 2000. Zita Szoke won the conference title in 200-yard freestyle, finishing with a time of 1:46.01. Szoke gave the Bobcats their first conference championship in the event since 2004.
Szoke also became the first Bobcat since 2014 to earn a trip the the NCAA Championships, where she broke the school record in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle events.
Szoke was named MAC Freshman of the Year, while Szoke, DiBetta, Gabrielle Brust, Gabrielle McKee, McKenzie Grau and Julia Strine were named All-MAC. 21 Bobcats were named Academic All-MAC, while Brust, DiBetta, Strine and Caroline Dunigan were named CSC Academic All-District. Ohio once again earned CSCAA Scholar All-American Award honors for both semesters and Szoke, DiBetta, Brust and Strine were named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team.
Ohio placed fourth once again at MACs in 2022-23, but saw significant gains in the programs accolades. Lauren Hartel was named the MAC Freshman of the Year after becoming the MAC Champion in the 1650 free, becoming the first Bobcat to win the event since 2009. Ami Hornyak was crowned MAC Champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing first with a time of 59.89. She became Ohio's first individual champion since 2015 and the first champion in the event in 2001. Hornyak also tied the Miami pool record in her finish. Hartel, Hornyak, McKenzie Grau, Gabrielle Brust, Emma Fortman and Casadie DiBetta all earned All-MAC honors. 22 Bobcats were named Academic All-MAC, while Fortman, Grau and Brust were named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team and were named CSC Academic All-District.
2021-22 saw the bobcats place fourth at the MAC Championships once again, with Emma Fortman, Gabrielle brust and McKenzie Grau earning All-MAC honors. Ohio went on to place 21 on the Academic All-MAC team, while Ohio once again earned CSCAA Scholar All-American Award honors for both semesters. Individually, Brust and Sienna Breton earned a spot on the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team.
In 2020-21, the Bobcats had a rebound season, placing fourth at the 2021 MAC Championships, where Emma Fortman, Katherine Garrity and Gabrielle brust earned All-MAC honors. After the season,16 members of the team were named Academic All-MAC, with Fortman and Garrity earning Distinguished Scholar Athlete recognition. Ohio also earned the CSCAA Scholar All-American Award in both the fall and spring semesters.
During the 2018-19 season, Ohio turned in a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Championships, with Schlegel earning All-MAC First Team honors and Kelsey Morgan, Corrin Van Lanen and Emilia Lahtinen garnering Second Team recognition. Hannah Schlegel finished second in the 1650-yard freestyle, placed third in the 500-yard freestyle and took third in the 400-yard individual medley, breaking the school record in all three events. Morgan broke two other school records for the Bobcats at the MAC Championships, placing second in the 100-yard breaststroke and third in the 200-yard breaststroke finals.
The Bobcats sent three divers to the NCAA Zone C Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. -- Olivia Dillon, Nicole Hughes and Taylor Miller.
Ohio excelled in the classroom as well as in the pool under Norman. The Bobcats were selected as a winner of the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America's (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Award. Ohio placed 12 student-athletes on the 2019 Women's Swimming & Diving Academic All-MAC team and two were recognized by the conference as Distinguished Scholar Athletes.
Norman came to Ohio after spending the 2017-18 season as associate head coach at the University of Kentucky. Prior to his elevation to associate head coach, Norman spent the previous four seasons as an assistant on staff for the Wildcats swimming and diving team.
While at Kentucky, Norman coached four USA National Team members, two 2017 USA World University Games team members, four Southeastern Conference champions, an NCAA champion and numerous NCAA qualifiers. He also oversaw workouts and season plans for distance swimmers and had a top-10 women's recruiting class in 2016. Norman also coached three US Olympic Trials finalists and five semifinalists in 2016.
Norman spent a year-long stint at the University of Utah in 2012-13 before joining the staff at Kentucky. At Utah, he was responsible for coaching the distance and individual medley groups and helped coach one Ute to an NCAA Championship berth.
Prior to his time at Utah, Norman spent a season as a graduate assistant before being promoted to interim assistant coach at the University of Tennessee. While in Knoxville, he also spent time training for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 100-meter freestyle.
A native of Duluth, Ga., Norman had an illustrious career as a student-athlete at Wingate University. As a Bulldog, Norman was a 22-time All-American and was a part of the NCAA Division II national championship 400 free relay team in 2010. During that same year, Wingate finished sixth at the NCAA Championships and Norman used three individual victories at the 2010 BMC Championships to help the Bulldogs notch their third consecutive conference title.
In addition to being a decorated athlete, as Norman was named the Wingate Male Athlete of the Year in 2009. He excelled in the classroom and racked up four CSCAA Scholar All-America awards and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team in 2009 and '10.
