Head Coach Jerry Hammaker
Entering fifth season at Lock Haven

Lock Haven women's swimming head coach Jerry Hammaker enters his fifth season in 2026-27.

In just four complete seasons, Hammaker has completely revamped the women's swimming roster, which will feature 26 athletes this season.

2025-26
Lock Haven finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 3-6 dual-meet record and highlighted the year by capturing the team title at the Electric City Invitational. The Bald Eagles scored 840 points over the three-day event to edge host Marywood for the championship.
 
The Haven earned dual-meet victories over Pitt-Johnstown, Lycoming and Penn State Altoona. Lock Haven defeated Lycoming, 117-60, behind eight event victories, while Jadyn Oswalt secured a PSAC qualifying mark in the 1,650-yard freestyle.
 
Lock Haven closed the season at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships in York, Pennsylvania, where the Bald Eagles totaled 159 team points.

Lock Haven's competitors at the 2026 PSAC Championships:
12 Individual Entries | 5 Relays
Gianna Gruska: Freshman (50 Free, 200 Breast, 100 Breast)
Veronica Karboski: Freshman: (50 Free, 100 Free)
Kate MacAlister: Freshman (100 Fly, 200 Fly, 100 Back, 200 Back)
Jadyn Oswalt: Freshman (1000 Free, 1650 Free, 100 Back, 200 Back)
 
Relays
Madison Bortner
Nora Craig
Hannah Howell

2024-25
In his third season at the helm, Hammaker and the Bald Eagles opened the season with an impressive showing at a pair of PSAC invites, before soaring to a 178-43 victory over Lycoming College. The Bald Eagles brought home gold in every individual event. 

After securing multiple dual victories in a season for the first time in six seasons last year, The Haven accomplished that feat once again in 2024-25 after taking down Penn State Altoon, 155-86, on the road. 

At the conference meet on Feb. 17, 2025, Sydney Houck made history as she was named the PSAC Scholar Champion for Women's Swimming for the second straight season. 

Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, Hammaker's recruiting class increased the overall roster size from a possible four swimmers to 24 athletes.

2023-24
In his second season at the helm, Hammaker led the Bald Eagles to a pair of dual meet victories for the first time since the 2017-18 season. 

Following the regular season, four athletes qualified for the 2023-24 PSAC Women's Swimming Championships. 

At the conference meet on Feb. 17, 2024, Sydney Houck was named the PSAC Champion Scholar for Women's Swimming, becoming the third Bald Eagle in Athletic Department history to earn the award.

2022-23
On August 30, 2022, Jerry Hammaker was named Lock Haven’s new head women’s swimming coach and he was charged with leading the NCAA Division II program into the future.

The Coach-Hammaker era officially began on October 8, 2022 with a dual at Penn State Altoona and the Bald Eagles closed season No. 1 under his leadership at the 2022-23 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships, behind three individual championship qualifiers.

Prior to Lock Haven, the Williamsport, Pennsylvania native enjoyed a record-breaking career at Lycoming College from 2001-2018. During his 17 seasons at Lycoming, Hammaker coached both the men’s and women’s swim teams. 

He officially took over head coaching duties at Lycoming prior to the 2001-02 season and announced his retirement from Lycoming following the 2017-18 season. 

During his first season (2001-02) as the head coach at NCAA Division III Lycoming (Williamsport, Pa.), Hammaker led the women’s program to the only undefeated season in school history. The Lycoming women were 11-0 in dual meets. In just his second season (2002-03) as head coach at Lycoming, he led a male swimmer to All-American honors in a pair of events. 

In 2010, he led the Lycoming women’s team to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) team title and he was named the MAC’s 2019-10 Women’s Coach of the Year. 

Hammaker was named the 2013 Robert Darrow Curry Lycoming Athletics’ Coach of the Year. 

During his impressive tenure at Lycoming, Hammaker led the Warriors to 24 individual or relay conference championships. He also guided 233 swimmers to individual All-Conference honors. Under his leadership, the men’s and women’s swimming programs at Lycoming broke nearly 100 school records. 

Hammaker holds the program record for overall career dual meet wins (220), most wins with the men's program (107), and most wins with the women's program (113). The Warrior women posted 15 straight winning seasons under Hammaker from 2001-16 while the Warrior men had 15 straight .500 or better seasons.

Hammaker’s teams also excelled in the classroom. He coached four College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-Americans. His women’s teams achieved CSCAA Scholar All-American Team status 14 times and his men’s teams earned CSCAA Academic Team honors eight different times. 

Hammaker is a 1989 graduate of The College of Wooster (Ohio), where he earned a degree in speech communications with a philosophy minor. He was a four-year letter winner and a school-record holder in the 400-yard individual medley for the Fighting Scots.


*Updated: October, 2026