Drew University Athletics

Rich Munson has transformed the men's and women's swimming & diving programs at Drew University since arriving in Madison prior to the 2015-16 season.

In 10 years at the helm, Munson has directed the Rangers to tremendous improvement. Individually, all 46 school records have been broken during his watch. In addition, he has guided both the men's and women's teams to their highest finish in program history at the Landmark Conference Championships, where the men's team finished second four years in a row from 2021-24 and the women's squad won its first title in 2022.

In 2024-25, Munson directed Nicholas Heinio-Widell C'27 to another outstanding season, capped by an appearance at the NCAA Division III Championships where he placed 18th in the 100-freestyle, 19th in the 100-butterfly, and 38th in the 200-IM. Heinio-Widell won the Landmark Conference Men's Swimmer of the Year award for the second straight season after he after winning all seven events he competed in (three individual, four relay) at the Landmark Conference Championships. At the same meet, he broke three conference and meet records, reset four school records, and achieved three NCAA B cuts. And for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in the last six years, a Ranger won the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's swimming & diving, with Katerina Poulathas C'25 taking home the award.

During the 2023-24 season, Munson helped Heinio-Widell earn both the Landmark Conference Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year as he won all seven events he competed in (four relay, three individual), broke three Landmark Conference Championship meet records, reset three school records, and achieved one NCAA B cut at the Landmark Conference Championships. And for the second in a row, Drew swept the Landmark Conference Swimming & Diving Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, as Amira Hadri C'24 and Hayden Koh C'24 were honored for their performances in the pool and in the classroom. Hadri was also honored as the overall Landmark Conference Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

One year earlier, Koh made history under Munson's watch as the first member of the Drew men's swimming & diving team to earn All-America honors when he finished 13th in the 200-butterfly at the NCAA Division III Championships, capturing honorable mention status. The first national qualifier in Ranger men's swimming & diving history, Koh also placed 21st in the 100-butterfly and 36th in the 100-freestyle at the national championship. 

On the women's side in 2022-23, Katie Cashin C'23 capped an outstanding career when she was named the Landmark Conference Swimmer of the Year. Also in 2022-23, Cashin and Harrison Neal C'23 swept the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards in swimming & diving. In addition, Neal became the first member of the Drew men's swimming & diving team to be named as a College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-American, garnering second-team honors.

Munson coached his women's team to a banner season in 2021-22, when the Rangers went undefeated (6-0) and captured the program's first-ever Landmark Conference title. The Rangers won 11 of 18 events at the conference championship as Munson was named the Landmark Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year. Poulathas  reeled in Rookie of the Meet honors at the conference championship, while Sydney Everhart C’22 would capture the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. On the men's side, Koh was named both the Landmark Conference’s Men's Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year after winning five events, setting numerous records and achieving three NCAA "B" cuts.

In Munson's first year at The Forest, Drew's women's team posted three all-conference performances at the Landmark Conference Championships and broke seven school records. The next year, his teams combined for 16 all-conference performances at the Landmark Championships, set 32 school records and one Landmark record, and also recorded two NCAA "B" qualifying times. In addition, the Rangers earned the Landmark Conference Women's Diver of the Year and the Men's Rookie of the Year awards.

His 2017-18 squads reached new heights, combining for 12 all-conference performances, 27 school records, and three Landmark records. Meanwhile, the women's team swept the Landmark Conference Swimmer and Diver of the Year awards. In addition, Munson coached Drew's first NCAA qualifier in 19 years and just the second All-American in Mal Vishwanath C'20, who placed 15th at the national meet in the 1,650-freestyle. She also competed in both the 200- and 500-freestyle at NCAAs.

The Rangers continued to flourish under Munson in 2018-19, posting 11 all-conference showings, 20 school records, and two Landmark records to go with two NCAA "B" cuts.

In 2019-20, Drew posted another outstanding season under Munson's direction. The Rangers captured 17 All-Landmark Conference honors, 18 school records, two Landmark Conference records, and one NCAA "B" cut. In addition, Vishwanath garnered her second Landmark Swimmer of the Year award while Cashin was named the conference's Rookie of the Year.

Although the Rangers were limited to just one meet in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Munson's squad made it count. At the Landmark Conference Virtual Championships, Drew registered 27 All-Landmark Conference awards while breaking five school records. Angelo Angione C'21 swept the diving events to become Drew's first-ever men's Diver of the Year while Finn Armitt C'24 and Amira Hadri C'24 swept the Rookie of the Year awards.
 
A 2000 graduate of Seton Hall University, Munson competed for the Pirates at the Division I level in the Big East Conference. Munson's personal success as a student-athlete sparked his interest in coaching. After a successful stint at Brown Brother Harriman as a financial analyst, Munson made his return to the pool as a volunteer coach at Stevens Institute of Technology in 2007, where he learned the basics of recruiting, race strategies and teaching techniques. In his five seasons as an assistant, Munson helped produce 16 NCAA All-Americans and 24 NCAA Honorable Mention All-Americans. In his final season at Stevens, both teams posted their highest-ever finishes at the NCAA Championships, with the women placing fifth and the men 11th.
 
Munson came to Drew after serving as an assistant at NYU, where the results were swift and staggering upon his arrival. Within two years, the Violets transitioned from having a combined eight athletes achieve 12 NCAA "B" qualifying times with no individuals invited to the NCAA Championships to 38 athletes posting 99 NCAA "B" qualifying times with 20 individuals invited to Nationals. The NYU staff was recognized as the 2015 University Athletics Association Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Violets' men's and women's teams to undefeated dual meet records.
 
Munson was attracted to Drew's distinct recruiting advantages encompassing the outstanding academic programs, vast internship opportunities, and proximity to New York City. It is his mission to build a program with his philosophy on training combined with a renewed dedication to surpassing their personal goals. He carries over the unique skill set developed in the financial sector, including attention to operational detail, art of negotiation, customer service, and how to keep calm under pressure. These skills have helped challenge student-athletes to be their best both in and out of the pool.
 
A native of Maplewood, N.J., Munson resides in Morristown, New Jersey with his wife and two children.