Swim coach Todd Clark died on Sunday after dealing with a medical occasion whereas strolling into the WAAC Winter Age Group Open meet at West Allegheny Senior Excessive Faculty. He was 61 years outdated.
Clark most lately is the top coach of Metal Metropolis Aquatics in Pittsburgh, the place he has labored since 2020. He was promoted to move coach in 2024.
Clark had over 35 years of expertise as a head swimming coach at completely different ranges, and has served three years on the USA Swimming Nationwide Crew employees and has positioned two athletes on the US Nationwide Junior Crew, together with open water swimmer Claire Pophal and pool swimmer Rachel Zilinskas.
Previous to his time at Metal Metropolis, he labored with the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins and the Hawken Faculty in Cleveland. LESD earned USA Swimming Silver Medal standing beneath Clark’s management, and his highschool groups received 4 state titles.
Previous to that he labored as a coach at Peters Township Excessive Faculty and with the Fox Chapel Killer Whales within the Pittsburgh space.
Within the school ranks, Clark labored because the assistant head coach at his alma mater Kenyon in 1988, the place each the women and men received NCAA Division III titles.
After one 12 months there he was named the top coach at one other D3 college: Case Western Reserve College. In 13 years there, he coached 44 All-Individuals and two particular person NCAA Division III Nationwide Champions. His groups twice had the best GPAs in school swimming.
As an athlete, he was a seven time All-American at Kenyon and a five-time USMS Nationwide Champion.
Clark additionally prolonged his contact on the game past his personal teaching, serving because the Senior Chair for Allegheny Mountain Swimming and main a number of LSC coaching camps.
A part of a swim teaching energy couple, his spouse Marian is the top coach of Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics. They’ve three kids, Maiti, Mara, and Mac.
Based on Metal Metropolis Aquatics staff president Matt Puthoff, the staff is grieving but additionally celebrating his life and the “highly effective, constructive affect he made on hundreds of lives.”
“Todd and his spouse, Marian, have been stalwarts of our neighborhood for years, and we wish to guarantee his story is advised—not only for the sake of his spectacular resume, however for the household he leaves behind,” Puthoff stated. “Todd was immensely happy with his son, who’s at present in the course of his freshman 12 months on the College of Tennessee. He so usually shared footage of his son experiencing life in Knoxville, and that pleasure was evident to everybody who knew him.
“The selflessness Todd possessed was unmatched; he sacrificed numerous hours away from his circle of relatives to assist us and our households grow to be higher individuals. His teaching went far past the stopwatch. His pep talks have been normally easy and to the purpose, and as a rule, a swimmer would go away that dialog with a smile on their face. He was a continuing, welcoming presence on the deck at massive meets, providing an enormous hardy handshake, an enormous hug, and fun so distinct you might hear it from the stands.”
