Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Swimming Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- (860) 966-0942
John Spadafina has served as the Head Swimming & Diving Coach at Sacred Heart University since August 2014 and is the longest-tenured head coach in the programs history. During his time with the Pioneers, Spadafina has guided the program to unprecedented competitive and academic success, establishing Sacred Heart as a consistent presence on the conference and national stage.
Under Spadafina’s leadership, Sacred Heart swimming & diving has recorded a program-record 63 dual meet victories through the conclusion of the 2025–26 season and has seen 124 school records set since 2014. His teams have produced four CSCAA Individual Scholastic All-Americans and earned 24 CSCAA Team Scholastic All-America honors. An impressive 92 percent of athletes currently listed on the program’s all-time top-five performance and scoring lists competed during his tenure.
Spadafina has coached numerous national-level qualifiers, including CSCAA National Invitational Championship qualifiers in 2024, 2025, and 2026 (Emma Haas and Sophia Velleco), NCAA Zone A Diving qualifiers from 2024–26 (Lola Barrett, Sinclair Yadao, and Ryleigh Mahoney), and CSCAA Open Water National Championship qualifiers from 2023–25. His athletes have also competed at the US Open (2020) and the US Senior National Diving Championships (2025–26).
Conference success has been a hallmark of Spadafina’s tenure, as his teams have captured 15 conference championships across the MAAC, NEC, and ECAC. Sacred Heart athletes have set two conference records under his direction, including NEC and ECAC marks in swimming and diving. Individually, his divers have earned six Outstanding Diver of the Meet honors and two Rookie Diver of the Meet awards. The Sacred Heart diving staff, led by Head Diving Coach Adam Vance, has been recognized with eight Diving Coach Staff of the Meet awards across MAAC, NEC, and ECAC championships.
Spadafina’s teams have also excelled academically and within the university community. His athletes have earned multiple NEC Scholar-Athlete and Sportsmanship honors, Sacred Heart Athletic Department Scholar-Athlete and Student-Athlete of the Year awards, Unsung Hero recognitions, and alumni honors. Team finishes have included fourth-place results at the MAAC Championships in 2025 and 2026, fourth at the NEC Championships in 2021, a runner-up finish at the 2016 ECAC Winter Championships, a victory at the 2025 Gompei Invitational, and a 52nd-place finish at the 2024 CSCAA National Invitational Championships.
Prior to Sacred Heart, Spadafina spent four seasons (2010–14) as an assistant coach at Central Connecticut State University, where the Blue Devils earned 72 NEC All-Conference selections, an NCAA B qualifier, and CSCAA Scholastic All-American honors. CCSU finished no lower than fourth in the conference during his tenure, and Spadafina played a key role in recruiting and alumni engagement.
A coach with more than 24 years of experience, Spadafina is the owner of Wolfpack Swimming (formerly Park City Wolfpack), which merged with Rapids Swimming in 2020. He has coached athletes to Olympic Trials appearances every cycle since 2012, most recently at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha. He has served extensively in governance and leadership roles, including CT Swimming Board of Directors Coaches Representative, CT Senior Committee member, CSCAA Mentoring Program member, and NEC Competition Committee Coaches Representative.
Throughout his career, he has coached Connecticut record holders, state champions, EZ Sectional champions, YMCA National champions, and numerous national qualifiers.
A 2003 graduate of Central Connecticut State University, Spadafina earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and was a member and captain of the Blue Devils men’s swimming & diving team. He resides in Wallingford, Connecticut, with his wife Amber and daughter Chloe.
