NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt swimming head coach Jeremy Organ announced Thursday the hiring of Marina Preiss as assistant coach.
Preiss (pronounced PREESE) comes to the program after serving as assistant coach at New Mexico State the last two seasons.
“I am excited to welcome Marina to our program,” said Organ. “Marina is a very well-organized person who is very passionate about coaching. She is a great fit with our program and will make an immediate impact with our student-athletes.”
In two seasons with the Aggies, Preiss helped multiple individuals combine to break five school records while also leading the program to three dual-meet victories over rival New Mexico during that span. Her efforts aided New Mexico State student-athletes in recording nine top-three finishes at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in 2023, with one individual posting an NCAA B Standard during the campaign and Naomi Slee named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. The Aggies also had nine top-three results at the WAC Championships her first season on staff.
Working primarily with sprinters in the pool, her responsibilities also included writing and running dryland workouts as well as organizing team travel, recruiting weekends, and alumni and booster events.
Preiss was a volunteer assistant for two seasons at Auburn prior to her time at New Mexico State. While with the Tigers, she helped run workouts for sprint, middle distance and distance swimmers, and write and run dryland workouts while also aiding in the program’s recruiting efforts. During that time, she also coached the 14-and-under team at the Auburn Aquatics.
She has also served as a volunteer assistant at Southwestern (Texas) University and as a coach for the 14-and-under team with Waterloo Swimming.
“I am beyond grateful to Jeremy for bringing me into the Vanderbilt family,” Preiss said. “I love all the traditions that come along with such an amazing university. The university supports student-athletes in such a positive way, I’m excited to be a part of it!”
Originally from East Hampton, New York, Preiss is a 2018 graduate of San Diego State with a degree in social sciences. She was a four-year member of the Aztecs’ swim program, competing in free events and serving as a team captain her senior season.
