Coach Shawn King is in his second season as the head coach of the Utah Tech Trailblazers.
In his first season with the Trailblazer program, he guided the team to its second fastest season in school history, breaking seven school records, along with three All-WAC honors. In addition, the Trailblazers combined to post 75% life best times in competed events during the season.
Utah Tech also performed in the classroom, as the team recorded a second-place showing in the CSCAA Scholar All-America teams in the NCAA Division-I ranks with a cumulative 3.79 GPA.
Before returning to his alma mater, Coach King helped lead the BYU Men’s team to its third-consecutive MPSF Championship, coaching senior standout Brad Prolo to MPSF Male Athlete of the Year and NCAA qualification in the 200 Butterfly. Coach King furthered the development of the BYU distance program, adding new BYU all-time top-five performances for men and women in the 200 Free, 500 Free, and 1650.
In the 2021-2022 season, Coach King helped coach the BYU Men's team to its second-straight MPSF conference championship, leading a resurgent BYU distance program to their highest finishes in the last 10 years. Successes from the season include three of the top five finishes in the women's 1650 at the MPSF Conference Championships and new BYU team records for the men's 500, 1000, and 1650 Freestyle. Coach King coached freshman standout Tanner Nelson to MPSF Freshman of the year honors, and NCAA qualification in the 400 IM.
Prior to his time at BYU, Coach King was the assistant coach of the Utah Tech women’s swimming distance program for the 2020-21 season. Working with athletes coming through the pandemic and helping the Trailblazer team transition to Division-I, Coach King guided the team's distance swimmers to life best and collegiate best times.
Coach King has coached athletes from prep levels to the national level with USA Swimming while working with clubs in Utah, Idaho, Texas, Illinois, and Florida. His athletes' accomplishments include multiple Utah state record holders, U.S. national qualifiers, and Division I and Division II collegiate athletes. Outside of club swimming, Coach King has extensive high school experience across the country. Most recently, he served as head coach for Desert Hills High School, leading his teams to three consecutive boy's championships and back-to-back girl's Utah 4A State titles, being named UHSAA Coach of the Year three times.
Coach King was voted the NFHS Utah High School Coach of the Year in 2019, following a season where the Desert Hills boy's relays broke all three 4A relay records and the overall Utah records in the 200 Free and 400 Free relays and an All -American selection in the 200 Free Relay.
In addition, Coach King previously served as the master’s coach for a group of highly motivated 18 and over athletes who formed the SUSA Masters team at the Sand Hollow Aquatics Center, now the Trailblazer Masters at Utah Tech. Coach King's masters have won multiple Huntsman World Senior Games titles, placed in the top 10 at the USMS Spring Nationals, and have placed on the annual Top 10 list for US Masters swimming.
Coach King earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Utah Tech University in 2014, and his Master’s degree in Health Psychology from Grand Canyon University in 2022.
Shawn, his wife, Heather, and their four boys are excited to be in southern Utah and are grateful to be part of the Trailblazer family.
