J. Agnew - Men's Swimming and Diving Coach - Ball State University Athletics

J. Agnew

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
jragnew@bsu.edu
Phone:
765-285-8909

Ball State Director of Athletics Beth Goetz announced the hiring of J. Agnew as the new swimming and diving head coach for the Cardinals in August of 2018. He now enters his eighth season in 2025-26.

Agnew guided the men to a strong debut at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in 2025, earning four medals and setting three program records. During the regular season, the men’s squad stamped a victory at the Butler Invitational for the second-consecutive year, placing first out of four teams.

The women collected four medals and broke six program records at the 2025 MAC Championships. Agnew coached Payton Kelly to earn her second first team All-MAC honor after medaling in three freestyle events, including gold in the 50 freestyle and silver in both the 100 and 200. Anna Keen and Alexa Von Holtz earned second team All-MAC honors, combining for four podium finishes in their respective events. Agnew’s guidance showed on the national level as Kelly continued her medal collection, earning gold at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships in the 100 freestyle.

The 2023-24 season saw Agnew’s Cardinals continue their climb as both squads posted strong showings at the MAC Championships. The men captured seven medals and broke 10 program records while scoring 414 points. Joey Garberick completed a sweep of the breaststroke events, winning the 100 for the fourth-straight season and becoming the first Cardinal to sweep those events since 2014. The men also saw success at the Butler Invitational, taking first out of six teams.

On the women’s side, Ball State scored 330 points and captured four medals at the MAC Championships, including a gold from first team All-MAC honoree Callie Tuma in the 1650 freestyle, the program’s first MAC title since 2021. Agnew’s women broke two program records and added 11 more top 10 performances in program history. Payton Kelly received first team All-MAC honors, leading the team with 48 points.

In 2022-23, Agnew steered the program with both team and individual achievements. The men’s squad scored 457 points at the MAC Championships, the program’s second-highest total since 2005. The Cardinals opened the meet with a program-record win in the 200 medley relay, securing their first conference relay title since 1996. In total, the men broke all five relay records and medaled in three of them. Joey Garberick earned first team All-MAC honors after winning his third-straight 100 breaststroke title and earning silver in the 200 breaststroke. Owen Chaye was named second team All-MAC after setting program records and claiming silver in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. The women’s squad broke five program records and notched four MAC medals, along with 13 swims that cracked the all-time top 10 list.

Agnew’s leadership throughout the 2021-22 campaign was key as Joey Garberick defended his MAC title in the 100 breaststroke, while the Cardinals claimed five program records and earned eight medals. The women’s squad also broke five school records and posted 12 additional performances that ranked among the top seven in program history. During the regular season, the women nearly upset defending MAC champion Buffalo in a tightly contested 158-141 dual, handing the Bulls their narrowest league margin of victory that season. The women also placed second out of 12 teams at the Indiana Intercollegiates and second out of nine at House of Champions.

In his third season at the helm, Agnew led both Ball State squads to standout showings at the 2021 MAC Championships. The men recorded 511.5 points, their highest total since 2005, and captured eight medals, including two golds. Agnew coached Joey Garberick to Ball State’s first individual MAC title since 2006 with his victory in the 100 breaststroke. The men set five program records on day two alone and earned three All-MAC selections, including two first-team honorees. Throughout the year, the men picked up impressive victories over Eastern Illinois, Bellarmine, Xavier and Southern Illinois, making it the most wins for the program since 2016-17.

The women scored 320 points, their best total since 2005 as well, and earned five medals. Marcella Ribeiro became the program’s first swimming medalist since 2014, capturing bronze in the 500 freestyle and gold in the 1650 freestyle to earn first team All-MAC honors. The women also picked up a 172-127 dual win over Bowling Green, marking back-to-back MAC victories for the first time since the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

In his second season, Agnew helped the program reach new heights in victories and school records. Agnew guided the women's team to a dual victory over Toledo, its first MAC victory since the 2016 season. The women's squad also picked up wins against Youngstown State, Eastern Illinois, Grand Valley State and Indiana State. At the MAC Championships, the women's team set a new school record in the 200 Free Relay. On the men's side, Angew coached true freshman Jared Holder to a school record in the 100 Back along with team records in the 200 Medley and 800 Free Relays.

Agnew's first season as head coach saw the Cardinals break several school records and earn various awards and honors. At the Mid-American Conference Championships, Ball State recorded 74 lifetime bests, notched 30, top-10 swims in school history, and set school records in the women's 200 free relay, men's 100 fly and men's 200 back. Throughout the year, the men finished third at the Indiana Intercollegiate at Purdue and earned a win against Eastern Illinois. The women claimed second at the Indiana Intercollegiate and wins against Eastern Illinois and Indiana State.

The Cardinals also excelled in the classroom under Agnew's leadership. Seventeen from the women's team were named to the Academic All-MAC squad while seven from the men's team received the same honor. Additionally, the CSCAA recognized both teams for academic excellence as a team. Divers Sean Wolfe and Rachel Bertram were honored individually as Wolfe was named MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and Bertram was a CSCAA Scholar All-American.

Agnew, a Ball State graduate, returned to his alma mater after spending the previous 11 years as Purdue's men's swimming and diving assistant coach. Purdue consistently produced its highest finishes in program history at both the Big Ten Championship and NCAA Championship level during Agnew's tenure. He was instrumental in helping guide 12 swimmers to qualify for the NCAA Championship meet and represent Purdue on the biggest stage of NCAA swimming. Agnew also coached numerous Big Ten finalists.

In Agnew's second year at Purdue, he coached Andrew Langenfeld to a Big 10 record in the 50-meter freestyle. Agnew then helped Danny Tucker win the 100-meter freestyle at the 2013 US Open Championship. The Purdue men were represented by 10 swimmers at both the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. During Agnew's tenure at Purdue, the Boilermakers broke 37 school records and established 26 new freshman records.

Not only was Purdue successful in the pool, but the Boilermakers were recognized as a College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Team every year between 2008 and 2018.

"Ball State University has always held a special place in my heart," Agnew said. "I was fortunate early in my coaching career to have examples like Laura Seibold-Caudill and Bob Thomas show me what it means to love your team and truly care for your student-athletes in and out of the pool. With respect to these coaches as well as the hard work of Kristy Patterson, I humbly accept the torch that has been passed to me and promise our Cardinals will 'Fly High'."

Before heading to Purdue, Agnew was a successful high school coach with Yorktown High School and the Yorktown Swim Club, which is located less than 10 miles from Ball State. He brought the Yorktown swimming program to unprecedented heights during his seven-year tenure from 2000 to 2007, coaching eight individual state champions and 22 high school All-Americans.

In his final season with Yorktown, Agnew produced seven swimmers who went on to compete for NCAA Division I schools. The Yorktown boys' and girls' squads combined for 10 top-10 state finishes under Agnew's watch, including a runner-up showing by the 2006 girls' team. Agnew was named the 2004 Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Girls Swimming Coach of the Year after leading the team to a fourth-place finish.

"I would be remiss not to thank my Boilermaker family that has prepared me well for this opportunity," Agnew added. "Their support has been monumental in this decision. My sincerest thanks to Beth Goetz, Stephanie Martin and the search committee for placing their confidence in me to lead the men and women of Ball State swimming and diving. My family and I are looking forward to embracing the call to lead the Cardinals."

Agnew earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Ball State. He earned a bachelor's in mathematics in 1996 and went on to earn a master's in educational leadership and supervision in 2008. Agnew is married to Kelly Agnew, a 1997 and 2000 graduate of Ball State. The couple has two daughters, Haley, a Purdue graduate, and Neely, a Ball State graduate and two-time Academic All-MAC honoree as a member of the Agnew-led women's swimming and diving program.