Brad Dunn dove into the role of director of men’s and women’s swimming at University of Lynchburg in August 2018. Dunn oversaw the reestablishment of the Hornets' NCAA Division III swimming programs, which were on hiatus since the 1970-71 academic year.
To finalize the 2025-26 campaign, Dunn claimed ODAC Coach of the Year honors on the men's and women's sides, becoming the first men's coach in Lynchburg swim history to earn the distinction. In addition, freshman Henry Brooks secured the ODAC Rookie of the Meet award, while the teams combined to post 15 All-ODAC selections with second-place ODAC finishes. Brooks claimed three ODAC titles and recorded conference records in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. The freshman advanced to the NCAA Championships in three events, submitting his highest finish in the 100 backstroke for 19th place (49.00). On the women's side, Gracie Maughan competed in three events, securing her highest finish in the 100 breatstroke to place 35th (1:05.46).
Dunn led the men's team to a third place finish at the ODAC Championships to cap the 2024-25 season, and the women placed fourth. The Hornets posted a slew of records in their final performances, while Sienna Schmeck captured titles in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. The men's and women's teams won dual meets against William Peace and Southern Virginia. To cap the season, Savy Borroughs claimed ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Dunn led the men's team to a second place finish at the ODAC Championships for the second year in a row, while the women earned third. The Hornets snatched 10 all-conference positions on the women's side and six for the men, including five combined first-team selections. In addition, Claire Galloway made history as the first Lynchburg swimmer to compete at the NCAA Championships. The graduate student participated in the 100-yard breaststroke, 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard breaststroke, tying an ODAC record in the 100 breast with a 13th-place 1:03.24 performance. She also set a 2:21.53 program record in the 200 breast for 32nd to complete her career.
The 2022-23 season featured the men's team's biggest jump in ODAC championship meet points year-over-year with 606 points finishing second. The women placed third and the two squads combined for 18 student-athletes earning postseason awards. Colton Schnars won the ODAc swimmer of year honor while Matt Field and Lindsey Hair swept the ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.
In 2020-21, only the second year of the program's regeneration, Dunn led the Lynchburg women to an Old Dominion Athletic Conference title and guided the Hornet men to a championship runner-up finish. For his efforts, he won the women's coach of the year honor in the league. Twenty-eight of his swimmers earned All-ODAC accolades, and his swimmers combined for 11 individual and relay conference championships. Freshman Delaney Kennedy won women's rookie of the meet honors for Lynchburg.
Lynchburg began competition in the ODAC in 2019-20 and enjoyed the most successful season for a first-year program in league history. Both Lynchburg's men's and women's teams earned fourth-place finishes at the conference championship meet in February, seeing a combined eight swimmers named All-ODAC. Freshman Parker Hayungs earned the men's rookie of the meet honor, and freshman Claire Galloway earned the program's first-ever NCAA Division III 'B' standard in the women's 100-yard breaststroke.
For his part, the Virginia Sports Information Directors voted Dunn as the 2020 men's and 2021 women's College Division All-State Coach of the Year.
Dunn came to Lynchburg from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was an assistant for the past year. Prior to Southwestern, Dunn spent four seasons as an assistant at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., where he helped the Lynx's women's team to its first-ever Southern Athletic Association title in 2015. Dunn and the Rhodes staff were named coaching staff of the year in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
A graduate of Virginia's own University of Mary Washington, Dunn starred for the Eagles in the pool between 2007-11. He helped UMW to four Capital Athletic Conference championships and set league records in the 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. Two of his relay events also set conference records. Dunn was a selection on the CAC's Silver Anniversary Team in 2015.
Dunn has connections to club swimming around the Commonwealth. In his high school years, he swam for Williamsburg Aquatic Club and longtime coach Harold Baker. After graduating from UMW, he stayed in the Northern Virginia working as an age group coach for national power Nation's Capital Swim Club before moving into the collegiate coaching ranks.
The Williamsburg native holds a degree in Spanish with an economics minor from Mary Washington and a master's in business administration from the University of Memphis.
