Dawson Pritchard was promoted to head coach for Ouachita's swimming & diving teams in June of 2025 following eight seasons as an assistant coach.
Pritchard has been on the Ouachita campus since 2010, first arriving as an undergraduate student and member of the Tigershark swimming team. Since then, he has worked in the admissions counseling office, has served as an instructor for the department of kinesiology, and has worked as an assistant coach for the swimming & diving teams.
Most recently prior to being promoted to head coach, Pritchard held the title of head diving coach and assistant swim coach and was instrumental in recruiting and developing the student-athletes that won the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference championship in the 2024-25 season, which was the first men’s swimming & diving conference title for Ouachita since 2000.
As an assistant coach for the swimming teams, Pritchard gained extensive experience in all areas of the program. He has coordinated strength & conditioning, planned practices, organized recruiting, handled meet day operations, facilitated academic success efforts, and assisted in the maintenance of Waggoner Pool.
As head diving coach in the 2024-25 season, he coached Ouachita’s first conference diving champion since 1999 and was named the NSISC Diving Coach of the Year. He coached three Tigersharks to NCAA qualifying rounds of diving, which was the most in school history.
During his tenure as an instructor of kinesiology (2021-2024), Pritchard taught and developed curriculum for multiple courses and served as an advisor to nearly 50 students.
As a member of the admissions counseling staff (2014-2021), Pritchard was responsible for territory management, including recruiting, correspondence, and giving tours to prospective students. He also managed student workers and assisted students as a tele-counselor.
Pritchard earned a bachelor’s degree from Ouachita in kinesiology in 2014 and added a master’s degree in the field from Southern Arkansas University in 2018. He is a member of the United States Professional Diving Coaches Association and is a certified Red Cross lifeguard. He and his wife, Griffin (Kretzer), also a Ouachita graduate, have two children – Darby and Enoch.
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