Villanova swimming and diving head coach Rick Simpson added two assistant coaches to his staff ahead of the 2026-27 season, the university announced Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Katie Senglaub and George Wade will join a program coming off a dominant 2025-26 campaign. The Wildcat women won their 13th consecutive Big East championship in February, the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division I, scoring a conference-record 1,754 points. Simpson's staff earned Women's Coaching Staff of the Year and Men's Co-Coaching Staff of the Year honors at those championships, according to the Big East.
Senglaub moves into a full-time role after spending last season as a volunteer assistant on the Main Line. In that capacity she helped with practice planning, athlete development, recruiting and travel coordination. She previously coached as an assistant senior/senior prep coach for the Victor Swim Club in Victor, N.Y., and worked university swim camps at Navy, Virginia and Villanova.
She swam competitively at Colgate University.
Wade arrives from La Salle University, where he served as assistant swim coach and men's recruiting coordinator. He oversaw the Explorers' breaststroke and individual medley groups. Wade was on head coach Kerry Smith's staff when Smith was named Atlantic 10 Men's Coach of the Year, and he helped coach athletes at the 2026 A-10 Championships.
Wade got his start at the Wissahickon Community Aquatic Club in Ambler, Pa., coaching there from 2021 to 2025. During that stretch he competed at Arcadia University, where he was a five-year member of the swimming and diving team. He earned three individual MAC championships, set team records in five events and was named to the MAC conference honor roll three times.
The men open the season Saturday, Oct. 10, at the NJIT Invitational in Newark, N.J. The Wildcat women host the University of Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. at the Villanova Swim Complex. Villanova's schedule also includes home meets against Georgetown on Oct. 24 and Penn on Nov. 4, a road trip to Penn State on Nov. 6 and the Navy Invite from Nov. 19 through Nov. 21.
