Women's Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- pmartin@scarletknights.com
- Phone:
- 848-445-0314
Petra Martin enters her third season as the head coach of the women's swimming & diving team. Martin arrived "On the Banks" in 2015 following a five-year stint as head coach at Bowling Green State University, where she guided the program to a top-three finish at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships in three consecutive seasons.
Martin, who was an All-American swimmer at the University of Maryland and a member of the Czech National Team, previously held coaching positions with George Mason University and the Terrapins.
In her two years at the head of the program, RU has produced eight NCAA qualifiers and has improved its standing at the Big Ten Conference Championships in each of its last two attempts.
Under the guidance of Martin in 2016-17, the Scarlet Knights enjoyed one of their most successful campaigns in recent memory, as they produced their best finish at the conference championships since they joined the Big Ten, sent five qualifiers to the NCAA Championships and had their second-straight Honorable Mention All-American in recent graduate Alyssa Black.
NCAA Qualifiers under Martin
| Year | Scarlet Knight | Event |
| 2017 | Alyssa Black | 1-meter, 3-meter |
| Rachel Byrne | platform | |
| Vera Koprivova | 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke | |
| Francesca Stoppa | 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly | |
| Addison Walkowiak | 1-meter, 3-meter, platform | |
| 2016 | Alyssa Black | 1-meter, 3-meter |
| Francesca Stoppa | 200 butterfly | |
| Addison Walkowiak | 1-meter, 3-meter |
In her first season as the program’s head coach, the Scarlet Knights set six school records as the program finished the dual season with a 6-5 mark. Two swimmers, Joanna Wu and Rachel Stoddard, represented the team at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, while Vera Koprivova competed in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 freestyle at the European Championships. Off the boards, Alyssa Black qualified for the U.S. Senior National Team in the 3-meter dive at the USA Zone A meet.
Black, Addison Walkowiak and Francesca Stoppa all secured spots at the 2016 NCAA Championships, where Black earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 3-meter diving with a 16th-place finish. In her rookie season, Stoppa broke a school record on her way to a 18th-place finish in the 200 butterfly at the NCAAs, the best result at the national event for a Scarlet Knight swimmer since Shayna Longacre finished 15th in 100 breaststroke in 2008.
Under the guidance of Martin, RU enjoyed seven top-eight finishes and broke two school records at the Big Ten Championships. Five athletes represented Rutgers on the podium in seven events, including Stoppa’s fourth-place performance in the 200 butterfly, the best result for RU at the conference championships.
Other highlights in the pool during Martin’s first year as head coach include the performance of Stoddard, who secured school records in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes events at the ECAC Championships. Two athletes, Walkowiak and Wu, earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors during the 2015-16 season.
Academics are heavily stressed under Martin, and Rutgers shined in the classroom. Four Scarlet Knights were named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars with 12 pegged as Academic All-Big Ten selections. The College swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) named the program a scholar All-America team during the fall and spring semesters. RU’s 3.46 team GPA during the spring semester was the third-highest team mark in the Big Ten.
Martin began her tenure at BGSU in 2010 and immediately brought tremendous growth and success to the program. The 2012-13 MAC Coach of the Year guided the team to back-to-back third-place finishes at the conference championships in 2013 and 2014, marking the first time since 1992 and 1993 the team registered back-to-back years with a top-three finish. She expanded the streak with a third-place showing at the 2015 MAC Championships.
Martin led the Falcons to a 9-1 dual meet record during the 2014-15 season, which encompassed a 13-consecutive dual meet win streak through two seasons. She also pioneered the revival of the BGSU diving program. Her athletes earned 17 all-conference accolades, while 15 program records were established and re-established during her time. Martin guided swimmer Estela Davis to a spot on the Pan American Team, while Daniella Carrillo participated in the World University Games in the summer of 2015.
Martin set high academic standards for her squad at Bowling Green. In her first year at the helm, the squad compiled a team GPA ranked sixth amongst Division I Women's Swimming and Diving programs by the CSCAA. The squad maintained its academic excellence throughout her tenure, ranking fifth amongst all DI programs following the fall 2014 semester. From 2013 to 2015, BGSU was a Scholar All-America team.
Prior to BGSU, Martin served as an assistant coach to the men's and women's programs at George Mason. She guided the women's squad to back-to-back appearances at NCAAs, highlighted by a 21st-place team finish at the 2010 NCAA Division Swimming and Diving Championships. Additionally, she saw two individual top-10 finishes in the women's 100 and 200 breaststrokes.
Following her undergraduate career at Maryland, Martin remained involved with the Terps as an assistant coach. The team registered a fourth-place finish at Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships and an undefeated dual season with her assistance. In addition, she coached four NCAA qualifiers and ACC top performers, along with four Olympic Trials Qualifiers.
A former Terrapin from 2000-02, Martin earned Honorable Mention All-America Honors in 2001 for the 200 and 400 meter freestyle relay. She and her teammates also notched All-ACC conference honors with a school record in the 200 meter free relay. Martin was a four-time Academic All-America swimmer and received the Scholar-Athlete award four times to match.
After earning separate Bachelor of Science degrees in both marketing and finance, accompanied by a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Maryland, Martin added a B.S. in physical education at the Oxford College of Emory University in 2004.
A member of the Czech National Swim Team, Martin ranked top-25 worldwide in the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle. At the time, she held the Czech national record in the 200 Medley Relay.
Martin and her husband, Andrew, are proud parents of daughter, Caden, and twins, Kian and Alea.
