TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati head swimming and diving coach Mandy Commons-DiSalle announced Tuesday she will retire at the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year.
Commons-DiSalle, who recently completed her 12th season as head coach and 16th overall with the program, leaves Cincinnati as one of the most impactful leaders in program history.
“In my nearly 20-year coaching career, I am grateful to have spent the majority of my time at the University of Cincinnati,” said Commons-DiSalle. “I have had tremendous support in building and maintaining a successful program and I want to thank the athletic department for affording me this opportunity. I am grateful for the ability to lead the Bearcats during my time here and to make a lasting impact on the program. Working with the incredible student-athletes over the years was truly a joy. The University of Cincinnati will always hold great memories for me and a special place in my heart. Go Bearcats!”
Across the American Athletic Conference and the Big 12, Commons-DiSalle has guided her student-athletes to nine All-America honors, three Big 12 individual titles, 59 AAC individual championships and nine AAC Swimmer, Diver or Freshman of the Year awards. Cincinnati also captured a pair of AAC team championships in 2018 and 2019.
Under the guidance of Commons-DiSalle, the women’s team has set 22 school records while the men have notched 20.
“Mandy has been a cornerstone of Cincinnati Athletics for more than a decade,” Director of Athletics John Cunningham said. “Her leadership, passion and unwavering commitment to student-athlete success have left a lasting mark on our program. We are deeply grateful for everything she has given to UC and we are excited for her next chapter.”
Commons-DiSalle coached several of the most accomplished swimmers in program history. Jacqueline Keire ’17, a three-time NCAA All-American and three-time AAC Most Outstanding Swimmer, won 13 conference titles. She was the first Bearcats’ swimmer to earn All-America honors since 2010 and first female since 2005. She also won a gold medal for Team Canada at the 2017 World University Games.
Joleigh Crye, a three-time All-American, won her second consecutive 100-yard breaststroke title at the 2026 Big 12 Championships. Crye competed in four NCAA Championships, with her fourth-place finish in 2025 marking the highest finish by a women’s swimmer in program history. Hunter Gubeno became UC’s first male individual Big 12 champion, in the 200-yard backstroke. Both Crye and Gubeno participated in the 2024 U.S. Olympics Trials.
In 2025, the women’s 200-yard medley relay posted a program-record NCAA “A” standard time, marking UC’s first relay qualification for the NCAA Championships since 1976.
Commons-DiSalle led the men’s squad to back-to-back AAC team championships in 2018 and 2019, earning conference Coach of the Year honors in both seasons. The Bearcats also recorded four consecutive AAC runner-up finishes from 2020-23, while the women’s team finished runner-up in 2018 and 2019.
She served as president of the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Board of Directors from 2022 to 2024 after previously holding the role of president-elect beginning in 2020.
On the international stage, Commons-DiSalle was a three-time U.S. National Team coach, including roles with at the 2015 World Cup and Duel in the Pool.
Prior to being elevated to head coach, Commons-DiSalle previously spent four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bearcats from 2010-14.
A 2003 Clemson graduate, Commons-DiSalle was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier and earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2001 and 2002. She was also a three-time Ohio High School Athletic Association state champion at Sycamore High School and is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.
A national search for Cincinnati’s next swimming and diving head coach will begin immediately, chaired by Deputy AD/SWA Maggie McKinley.