Joel Rollings Named Inaugural Head Coach at Marquette
Marquette University on Monday named Joel Rollings the inaugural head coach of the women’s swimming program.
The Division I school announced the intention to add swimming last May. It will begin competition in the Big East in 2026-27. The team will not feature a diving program.
“I am incredibly grateful to Athletic Director Mike Broeker and Senior Woman Administrator Danielle Josetti for the opportunity to establish Marquette’s inaugural women’s swimming program,” Rollings said in a press release. “It’s an honor to be a part of Marquette’s rich athletic legacy and contribute to its continued growth and success.”
Rollings spent the last two years as the head coach at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where he founded men’s and women’s swimming teams. The program was recognized as the most improved in Division III in 2024-25, and he was named Liberal Arts Conference Men’s Coach of the Year.
Rollings spent the bulk of his coaching tenure at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, from 2006-18. He mentored two NCAA champion, 13 individual and three relay All-Americans and 56 WIAC champions. That includes NCAA record-holder Amy Spaay.
Rollings spent a year at the University Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2018-19. He was a student-athlete at Milwaukee, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. He received a master’s degree at TCU in 1998, where he was a graduate assistant with the men’s team. His father, Harry Rollings, was a psychology professor at Marquette from 1973-80.
“We are thrilled to welcome Joel as the first head coach of Marquette women’s swimming,” Director of Athletics Mike Broeker said. “He rose quickly to the top of a very competitive candidate pool, and for good reason—his track record of building and growing programs speaks for itself. Just as importantly, he has shown a deep care for his student-athletes, investing in their growth as people through the sport they love. We are equally excited to welcome his wife Lauri and their son Sam into the Marquette community as we begin this exciting new chapter together.”
