Provost and Dean of the Faculty Rich Wicentowski shared the following message with the campus community on June 2, 2026:

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members, 

I’m writing to share an update on a leadership transition in the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation. After five years as the department chair and director, Brad Koch is leaving the College at the end of June to explore new opportunities.

Throughout Brad’s tenure at the College, which began in 2021, our varsity athletics program has experienced remarkable success, with numerous teams and individuals capturing Centennial Conference titles and NCAA postseason berths. During that same time, the program has continued to produce dozens of All-Americans, among many other notable team and individual accolades. Brad has also helped strengthen a culture of wellness and well-being on campus. He prioritized community engagement through programs such as Team IMPACT, which matches children who have serious illnesses or disabilities with college sports teams to build relationships focused on socialization, empowerment, and resilience. 

We will form a committee to help guide a national search for Brad’s successor in the upcoming academic year. In the meantime, I am happy to share that Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Harleigh Chwastyk has agreed to serve as interim director.

Harleigh has been at the College for nearly 25 years. Throughout that time, she’s been an active member of the College community, serving on numerous campus committees and groups, including the Committee on Faculty Procedures, the Faculty Committee on Diversity and Excellence, the Faculty Committee on Child Care, the Swarthmore Coalition on Well-being, the Physical Education & Athletics Advisory Committee, and the Swarthmore Forward Working Group focused on leadership in a multiracial democracy and the world.

As the longest-tenured volleyball coach in the Centennial Conference, Harleigh has built a highly successful program. Her teams have earned an NCAA Tournament berth, an NCAA Elite Eight appearance, a Mid-Atlantic Regional championship, multiple Eastern Conference Athletic Conference titles, and several Centennial Conference championship match appearances. She has coached dozens of student-athletes to All-America, All-Region, and All-Centennial honors, including a finalist for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She has also been named Centennial Conference Coach of the Year four times, an honor voted on by her peers.

Harleigh is equally committed to student-athlete development off the court. Under her leadership, 19 teams have earned American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Awards, and more than 130 student-athletes have been recognized on the All-Centennial Academic Honor Roll.

My thanks to Harleigh for taking on this responsibility. We will announce an interim head coach soon, and I will work with Harleigh and others in the department to ensure that our student-athletes on the volleyball team are well-supported throughout this interim period.

I also want to thank the faculty and staff in the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation in advance for their understanding and flexibility during this upcoming transition. I realize that leadership changes can present challenges and uncertainty. The College is fully committed to our Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation programs, including reimagining Cunningham Park and the Lamb-Miller Field House, and supporting the great work happening across the department. 

Please join me in thanking Brad for his many contributions to the College and wishing him well as he enters this next chapter of his career.

Sincerely, 

Rich Wicentowski
Provost and Dean of the Faculty