Chris Sweat was named head coach of the FGCU beach volleyball program in January 2020 after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach, and he has guided the Eagles to a 69-44 record as a head coach that includes the 2022 ASUN Coach of the Year honor.

2023
Under coach Sweat the Eagles advanced to the ASUN Tournament championship match and was only defeated by Stetson and North Florida in conference action all season long. In non conference play FGCU defeated No. 14 FIU, No. 15 FAU, Tampa, Mercer, UTEP, Coastal Carolina, Houston Christian University, College of Charleston, Erksine and PBA.

HISTORIC SEASON
Sweat's 2022 team finished with a program-high 29 wins, and Sweat earned his 50th career victory in just his third season as coach. Sweat became the first coach in FGCU program history to earn ASUN Coach of the Year accolade after guiding his team to its 11th-consecutive appearance in the ASUN Championship. The Eagles earned wins over two top-25 teams in 2022, downing No. 17 Stetson and No. 18 South Carolina while also taking down seven different conference squads. Sweat's FGCU program again ascended to a No. 20 ranking in the AVCA Top 20 in March 2022 and maintained that ranking through the ASUN Tournament.

COMING OFF COVID
After a Covid-19 shortened 2020 campaign, Sweat led the Green and Blue to a 17-15 record in 2021 while navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time in program history, the team spent three weeks ranked in the AVCA Top 20, checking in at No. 20 from late March through early April. On top of that, the Eagles were ranked 20th in the CollegeBeachVB.com poll on March 22 and 29.
 
On the court, FGCU faced the toughest schedule in program history, going up against 11 nationally ranked teams. They knocked off No. 14 Stetson on March 20 before producing its highest-ranked win in program history against No. 11 Florida Atlantic on April 13. More signs of the program’s progress included four of their ranked losses being in 3-2 fashion and 18 pairs producing single-match wins over their ranked foes. The previous season high was six.
 
A trio of freshmen, led by First Team All-ASUN selection Kacie Johnson, won at least 17 matches apiece. Trinity Rosales and Madie Lichty also helped the group finish 57-34 combined. A pair of seniors closed their FGCU careers on a high note as Kayla Whetstone became the program’s all-time wins leader, was named First Team All-ASUN and was tabbed the ASUN Scholar Athlete of the Year while Giovanna Borgiotti became one of just three Eagles all-time to win at least 60 matches. On top of that, the No. 3 duo of Maddison Parmelly and Lexie Hamilton were named Second Team All-ASUN.

PROGRAM’S GROWTH
Named to VolleyballMag.com’s Under 40 Coaching Hotshots list in January 2020, Sweat has been instrumental in the growth of the Green and Blue. The Eagles have compiled an 80-56 record since losing the first nine matches of his assistant coaching tenure, and the ascent started with wins in four of the final six matches of his opening season. Overall, the team has had a winning record in each year since.

Following that strong finish, Sweat helped lead the program to its first winning season in his second season, which included a third-place finish at the ASUN tournament. The 2017 season then produced a program-record 15 wins and a runner-up postseason finish. In 2018, the Green and Blue tied the 15-win record, defeated No. 15 Florida Atlantic for its first win over a ranked team and earned the No. 2 seed in the ASUN Championship for the first time. This past season, the team won a best ever 18 matches and recorded a runner-up finish at the ASUN tournament, nearly knocking off national No. 8 Stetson in the finals.
 
PRIOR TO FGCU
Prior to joining the staff at FGCU, Sweat served as the head varsity volleyball coach at Barron Collier High School and spent six years coaching the USA South volleyball club. As an athlete with 17 years of playing experience, he won the AAU national championship in Imperial Beach, Calif. in 2000 and compiled a five-year streak with a top-3 or better finish in the event.

Sweat, who resides in Naples with his wife Alyssa, earned a bachelor of science in resort and hospitality management from FGCU in 2007. His brother, Nick, is married to former FGCU indoor star and 2016 beach volleyball Olympian, Brooke Youngquist.

THE SWEAT FILE

FGCU Record	69-44 (.658/4 yrs.)
ASUN Regular Season	n/a
ASUN Regular Season Finishes	n/a
ASUN Tournament	11-5 (.727)
ASUN Tournament Finishes	3rd Place (2021) 2nd Place (2022) 2nd Place (2023)
ASUN All-Conference Selections	First Team (4) - Kayla Whetstone (2021), Kacie Johnson (2021), Kacie Johnson (2022), Maddison Parmelly (2022) Second Team (6) - Maddison Parmelly (2021), Lexie Hamilton (2021), Trinity Rosales (2022), Shelby Beiser (2022), Emma Hansen (2022), Kaitlyn Luebbers (2022)
ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year	1 - Kayla Whetstone (2021)
ASUN All-Freshmen Team	2 - Kacie Johnson (2021), Kaitlyn Luebbers (2022)
ASUN All-Academic Team	4 - Kayla Whetstone (2021), Giovanna Borgiotti (2021), Snowy Burnam (2022), Maddison Parmelly (2022)
ASUN All-Tournament Team	4 - Maddison Parmelly (2021), Lexie Hamilton (2021), Maddison Parmelly (2022), Kacie Johnson (2022)
ASUN Pair of the Year	1 - Kacie Johnson and Maddison Parmelly (2022)

YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD

Year	School	Overall Record	Conference Record (Finish)	Conference Tournament	Postseason
2020	FGCU	4-0	n/a	n/a (Covid)	n/a
2021	FGCU	17-15	n/a	2-2 (3rd Place)	n/a
2022	FGCU	29-9	n/a	6-1 (3rd Place)	n/a
TOTAL	7 Seasons	50-26 (.628)	n/a	8-3 (.727)	n/a

* - ASUN Conference Regular Season Champions
# - ASUN Conference Tournament Champions

UPDATED: 8/26/2023