STANDISH, Maine – The 2023 Maine State Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame class has been announced and Saint Joseph's College Head Coach Jared Felker is one of six individuals who will be inducted with a ceremony held at the Bath Country Club on Saturday, October 7th.
Felker is joined in the 2023 class by Abbie King, Katrine Alcaide, Dennis Connolly, Margaret Honan, and Ritchie Palmer.
Named as the head coach of the SJC men's and women's swim programs in 2016, Felker has led the Monks to 36 team victories and coached 25 All-Conference selections and 34 GNAC All-Academic honorees during his time at Saint Joseph's.
After starring in the pool at Yarmouth High School and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, Felker went on to compete for the University of Virginia where he was a four-year varsity swimmer and team captain. While swimming for the Cavaliers, Felker claimed All-ACC honors and capped his college career as the 2000 ACC Champion in the 100 butterfly. He also competed in the 2000 US Open in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle events.
Felker qualified for the United States Open, Senior Nationals, and the Junior Nationals as an age group swimmer and earned a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Academic honors. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in the spring of 2000.
Competing two years for Yarmouth High School, he established team records in every event except the 100-breaststroke. At Yarmouth, he won two gold medals at the MPA championships in the 100-butterfly. His 1993-94 MPA butterfly record remained for 11 years. Felker was a seven-time High School All-American for a storied Mercersburg Academy swim program that has produced over 30 Olympians.
Felker, who began his coaching career with a stint at Catherine McAuley High School, also has an impressive background as a club swim coach. He served as an Executive Director while coaching for the Seacoast Swimming Association in Dover, New Hampshire for six years and worked as a head coach for Seals Swimming in Westbrook for seven years.
In 13 years in club swimming, Felker coached five Olympic Trials Qualifiers, 10 National Qualifiers, a Collegiate All-American, six High School All-Americans, a Paralympic Gold medalist and a World Record Holder. While at Seacoast, he helped the program earn a USA Swimming Bronze Medal Team Award four times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) and coached an Eastern Zone Sectional Championship team in 2014.
Under his guidance, Seacoast was selected as a Top 100 USA Swimming program in 2015.
MAINE SWIMMING & DIVING HALL OF FAME
