BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) will recognize Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member Lynn Comer Kachmarik as the water polo selection for the 25th Annual Paragon Awards, sponsored by Pentair Aquatic Systems.
The Paragon Awards are presented annually to individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to aquatics in six categories. This year’s recipients are Teri McKeever for Competitive Swimming; Lynn Comer Kachmarik for Water Polo, Dave Burgering for Competitive Diving; Linda Quan, M.D. for Aquatic Safety; Betty Hazle for Synchronized Swimming and Florence Werner for Recreational Swimming.
The awards were slated for April 24, 2020 in ceremonies during the International Swimming Hall of Fame Honoree Induction weekend, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the ceremony to be moved to the evening of Friday, October 8, 2021, during the International Swimming Hall of Fame & Masters (MISHOF) Honoree Induction weekend, in Fort Lauderdale.
Additional information on the Paragon Awards is available by CLICKING HERE.
“For more than 20 years now, Pentair has been honored to be associated with the International Swimming Hall of Fame in recognizing leaders in the aquatic industry who play a prominent role in the promotion of aquatics with the Paragon Awards”, said Jim Drozdowski, Institutional Aquatics Sales Manager for Pentair Aquatic Systems.
“The annual Paragon Awards is a spectacular event that celebrates the unsung heroes who make competitive and recreational aquatics possible. These are the people who save lives, promote water safety and further aquatic education around the world. We are so proud to recognize these important people at the International Swimming Hall of Fame through the sponsorship of Pentair every year,” said ISHOF President/CEO Brent Rutemiller.
The third individual – and first player – inducted into the CWPA Hall of Fame following the selection of league founders Dr. Richard Hunkler and Dick Russell, 2003 CWPA Hall of Fame selection Kachmarik began her collegiate water polo career in 1976 as a freshman on Slippery Rock University women’s water polo team. She garnered All-America laurels in water polo for all four seasons she played at Slippery Rock while also earning All-America status on the SRU swim team for a total of 12 All-America honors during her intercollegiate competition tenure. From 1978-80 she also served as assistant coach of the university’s men’s water polo team under Hunkler. In 1991 Kachmarik was inducted into the Slippery Rock University Hall of Fame.
Her success as a player was not limited to collegiate water polo. Kachmarik was a member of the United States Women’s National Water Polo Team from 1976-86, serving as captain of the squad for six years. She was selected to the All-World Team in 1978. As a member of the U.S. team she competed in three World Championships and seven FINA World Cup tournaments. She also was an assistant coach of the U.S. national team from 1989-92, including the squad that finished third at the 1992 World Championships in Ecuador.
While playing water polo on the international stage, Kachmarik began a coaching career in the college ranks. In 1982 she was named women’s swimming coach at Bucknell University and in 1984 was appointed assistant coach of the university’s men’s water polo team. Kachmarik was named head coach of the Bucknell men’s water polo team upon CWPA Hall of Fame member Dick Russell’s retirement in 1986. In assuming her new position, she became the first woman to serve as the head coach of an NCAA men’s water polo team. In 1987, her first year on the job, she was named Eastern Water Polo League Coach of the Year. She served as the men’s water polo coach at Bucknell from 1987-90 and from 1994-98.
In 1998, Kachmarik relinquished her duties as Bucknell’s swim coach to start up a women’s varsity water polo program . The university had featured a successful women’s water polo club team since the 1980’s and she considered it both a personal and professional success to see the sport elevated to varsity status.
In addition to her playing and coaching, Kachmarik contributed to the sport as an official in the Southern Conference from 1980-83 and assisted in the approval and formation of the Mount St. Mary’s University men’s and women’s water polo programs.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of True Brand Sports LLC, and Vice President of Equilibria in Sports, she has over 47 years of leadership and coaching experience at all sport levels. For her leadership and athletic performance, she is a member of six athletic Hall of Fame groups, including the United States Water Polo Hall of Fame, Bucknell Athletic Hall of Fame, and CWPA Hall of Fame.
