LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Swimming & Diving added Joe Gucwa to its staff, Head Coach Rick Pratt announced. The Illinois native made stops at Saginaw State and South Dakota before his most recent coaching stint with Florida Gulf Coast in 2023-24. Gucwa leads an Aggie diving room that includes Megan Ono, Mira Tinani, Peytton Moore and Addison Pastiak.
Joe Gucwa, on joining the staff: "I'm excited for this new chapter in beautiful Las Cruces with our amazing coaching staff, wonderful swimmers and divers! I'm looking forward to helping impact both swimmers and divers in and out of the pool every day. It's my goal to continue bringing smiles and laughs to everyone while always striving to improve. NMSU already feels like home!"
While at FGCU (2023-24), Gucwa helped increase team diving points by 26 from the previous year. The group jumped from a 73-point mark in 2022-23 to 99 in his lone year at the helm, despite the previous top two scorers having graduated. The group scored all six divers in both events and earned a CSCAA Academic All-America Team selection at the end of the season.
In his only year with South Dakota (2022-23), Gucwa increased team diving points by 47 from previous campaign (78 to 125). The group produced the second-most team diving points at the Summit League Championships, headlined by bronze medalists on both the 1m and 3m dive. He guided the team to five finals appearances and three consolations, with all divers scoring in both events. One Coyote diver advanced to the NCAA Zone D Championship, with multiple members earning spots on the CSCAA Academic All-America Team.
Gucwa was also the head diving coach at Saginaw Valley State University from 2018-22. The Cardinals had a diver appear at the NCAA Division II National Championships in each year under Gucwa's guidance. During his first season (2018-19), diver Libby Caird qualified for the national championships and finished in 15th place in the one-meter diving event. She earned All-American honors after tallying 385.45 points. Gucwa again helped Caird to the NCAA Championship meet in the following season.
The 2020-21 campaign brought more success for Gucwa and his divers. Half of the Cardinal divers qualified for the national meet, including a third consecutive appearance for Caird. Later, Justin Ott became the first-ever NCAA First Team All-American for the men's program after a seventh-place finish at the national meet.
A native of Naperville, Illinois, Gucwa was a member of the swimming and diving team while attending Grand Valley State. He was an eight-time Division II All-American for the Lakers from 2014-2018. He earned a National First Team All-American honor after finishing third in the three-meter dive with a score of 472.10 at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Gucwa obtained his bachelor's degree in communications from Grand Valley State in 2019.
Head Coach Rick Pratt, on the addition of Gucwa: "We are thrilled to have coach Gucwa move to Las Cruces to lead our diving program. Throughout the search process, we found Joe to have a kind personality and strong knowledge to mentor our divers and provide the coaching that will help them improve and thrive. His passion for coaching and the sport of diving will be a great asset to our program, so I am excited to have him on deck."
The Aggies will return to action on Friday, Dec. 19, for a dual meet at North Texas. The Mean Green are set to host the bout at Pohl Recreation Center & PEB Natatorium, while NM State looks to repeat its head-to-head victory from a year ago (138-104). The matchup will begin at 11:00 AM MT (12:00 PM local).
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