Lara Preacco

Biography

Former Florida Atlantic hall of fame swimmer Lara Preacco, Ph.D., joined the men's and women's coaching staff in May of 2012 as an assistant, and two years later, was elevated to head coach. Preacco has held the position of head coach since May 2014. The 2024-25 campaign saw the men's and women's teams sweep the midseason Patriot Invitational for the second straight season, with both teams finishing at top of the podium. At the conference championships, in just their second Atlantic Sun Championship appearance, the men's team finished as runners-up, finishing the meet with six gold, nine silver, and four bronze for a total of 19 medals. Isac Faxius walked away with the honor of ASUN Male Most Outstanding Diver. On the women's side in the AAC, Megan Drover-Smith picked up a silver medal while setting a new school record with a time of 1:55.88 in the 200 back. Senior Dolores Margni swam herself to a silver medal in the 200 fly with a time of 1:59.57. Sophia Clack won the inaugural AAC Freshman Diver of the Week award and won an additional one later in the season. In total between the men's and women's teams, 11 new program records were set over the course of the season. In 2023-24, Preacco led the men's and women's teams to a sweep in their midseason Patriot Invitational, with both taking first place in their respective fields. At the conference championships, the men earned third place in their first Atlantic Sun Championship appearances with seven bronze medals. On the women'