By Tim Glon

MEDIA RELEASE__Austin Veltman will step down as the head men's and women's swimming and diving coach after a successful eight-year run at Ohio Northern.

Veltman guided the men's squad to a 44-20 record and the women's team to a 33-36 mark in his seven seasons as head coach of the Polar Bears.

The season, the ONU men's team won its 13th Ohio Athletic Conference crown in school history and posted a perfect 8-0 record (4-0 OAC), while the women went 3-5 overall (2-2 OAC) and finished third at the OAC Championships.

"We appreciate Austin's time with Ohio Northern Swimming and Diving," Ohio Northern director of athletics Tom Simmons said. "He was committed to the best interests of his student-athletes and the program. Leaving with an OAC men's team championship is an accomplishment he and our team can point to with pride. We wish Austin and his family nothing but the best in their future."

Veltman and his coaching staff were named the OAC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2026 and 2021.

""It has been an immense privilege to coach at Ohio Northern," Veltman said. "I will take many special memories with me from the pool, but it is the people that have made my time here so meaningful. The coaches, staff, and administrators in the Athletic Department are people with whom and for whom I am proud to have been able to work.

"Our assistant coach Erin Chrissobolis and diving coach Erik Richards are not only talented and caring coaches, but terrific people who have sacrificed much for the program. I am extremely grateful to all of these individuals, to the swimmers and divers who have come to ONU over these past eight years, and especially to our current team, who have made this last season such a fantastic one. They are a special group and I will miss them."  

A nationwide search for a new swimming and diving coach will begin immediately.