Sonya Whitman enters her 13th season as head coach of the Women’s Swim Team and second season as the head coach of the Men’s Swim Team. Prior to leading her first men’s squad to a PIAA AA Team State Championship in March, she led the women’s program to two PIAA AA team titles in 2019 and 2021, and to two third place finishes in 2022 and 2023.
Under her guidance, the women’s medley relay team won state gold four consecutive years in ’18, ’19, ’21, and ’22 (no PIAA meet in 2020 due to COVID), along with a gold medal for the 200 freestyle relay team in 2018. And in 2023, the men’s medley relay won gold to add to that total. Several female and male swimmers have earned individual medals at the PIAA State Championships under her leadership.
She has also coached two individuals and three relays to All-American status on the women’s side. Throughout her career, numerous swimmers have earned All-State, All-State Honorable Mention, and Academic All-American honors. All of the current women’s school records have been set during her tenure as well as the men’s school medley relay record. Over the past seven years of Whitman’s career, the women’s team won the Region 3 and the District 10 AA championship titles every year, while the boys earned those same honors in her first season with them.
A native of Bradford, Pa., Whitman attended Gannon University and served as captain of both the swimming and water polo teams. She earned CoSIDA Academic All American honors in water polo and held several team records for the swimming and water polo programs. She graduated with bachelor's degrees in Advertising Communications and Business Administration in 2004. Whitman continued her academic and athletic career at Syracuse University, where she played on the school's first club water polo team, earning First Team All-Conference honors in the CWPA New York Club Division. She graduated from Syracuse with a master's degree in Public Relations in 2005. In August 2007, Sonya completed a 26.5 mile swim across Lake Erie in 14 hours and 9 minutes, making her the fastest woman at the time to ever complete the swim.
Currently, Sonya is the Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Communications at Cathedral Prep. She and her husband, Brad, have one son, Jack (14) and one daughter, Brooke (6).
