Head Coach Nancy Luley
Date of birth:
May 24, 1956 		Hometown:
Pittsburgh, PA
High school:
Upper St. Clair High School (1974)		 College:
Penn State University (1977)
Years at Messiah:
1		 Family:
Husband (Rich), three daughters (Kate, Anne, Erin) one son (Ben)
Record at Messiah:
N/A		 Career Record:
N/A

Nancy Luley begins her first season as the head men’s and women’s swimming coach at Messiah College in 2008-2009, becoming the program’s first leader in its inaugural season.

Luley arrives to Messiah after serving as the Mechanicsburg Area High School head boys’ and girls’ swimming coach for the past two years. She was Mechanicsburg’s varsity assistant coach for the previous eight years.

“I am honored to be chosen for this position,” Luley said. “It’s an amazing opportunity to start a program from scratch. I’m very excited to be part of the Messiah community. There aren’t many chances in life to start something from the ground up. I am excited for that challenge in the upcoming weeks and months.”

Named the Carlisle Sentinel’s 2008 Swim Coach of the Year, Luley helped guide her Mechanicsburg girls’ team to an undefeated, 11-0 record in 2007-2008, leading her boys’ team to an 8-3 record overall. Mechanicsburg placed swimmers to PIAA State Competition in every year of Luley’s tenure as both a head and assistant coach, while she estimates an average of three to four swimmers went on to swim at the college level each year.

Luley jointly served as the head coach of the Mechanicsburg Swim Club for the past three years, a youth program for swimmers ages five to 19. Prior to taking over that club, Luley served as an assistant coach at the prestigious West Shore YMCA for five years.

Luley describes her coaching style as nurturing, with a strong emphasis on academics. During her tenure at Mechanicsburg High School, Luley’s teams maintained a strong presence on the honor roll. She is a lifetime member of the American Swim Coaches Association and National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association.

“We need to make our name in the pool,” Luley said of her opportunity at Messiah. “I’m going to encourage kids to be leaders. It’s not often that you get a chance to establish something bigger than yourself. Usually you step into a program that already has a history. We have a chance to start a tradition here. And that is truly special.”

Luley graduated from Penn State University in 1977. She is married to her husband, Rich, and they have four children: Ben, Kate, Anne and Erin. Erin was one of Luley’s best swimmers at Mechanicsburg, placing third in the 2006 500-meter freestyle state championships and sixth in the 200-meter freestyle championships.