First year as head Coach: 1982

Recent Highlights: In his final season before retirement, Dave Laing guided the Owls to a 6-3 record and a fourth-place finish at the Little East Conference Championships. Laing was named the Coach of the Year as Westfield swimmers took home several awards, with Alexa Ricther being named the league's Rookie of the Year, and Kara Banagan claiming the Rookie Diver of the Year title. Richter set a school record of 54.74 in the 100 freestyle, a record that had been held for 17 years.

2019-20 Season: Laing led the team to a third place finish at the Little East Championships and ninth at the NEISDA Championships. Senior Kelsey Johnstone won the 100 and 200 breaststroke at those championships and three swimmers were named to the NEISDA All-New England team. Johnstone broke the school record in the 200 freestyle at the NEISDA championships as well.

2018-2019 Season: Coach Dave Laing led the Owls to a 7-2 record. The team earned third place at the Little East Championship Meet and seventh at the NEISDA Championships where senior diver Monique Groux was named the Diver of the Meet and won the senior high point diver award.  Laing was named the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association's (NEISDA) women's dive coach of the year, and four Owls athletes were named to the 2019 NEISDA All-New England team. The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) named the Westfield State University women's swimming and diving team to its Scholar All-America team for the Spring 2019 Semester and had a number of individuals named to the NEISDA and Little East All-Academic teams.  The Owls set school records in three individual events.

2017-2018 Season: Coach Dave Laing led the women’s swim team to an 8-1 record. Coach Laing was named Little East Conference coach of the year as he coached the Owls to a program- best second place finish at the Little East Conference Championships, where diver Monique Groux and swimmer Kelsey Johnstone each earned All-Little East honors. Laing led the Owls to the NEISDA championships where the team finished fourth out of 20 teams and set 13 school records.

Career Highlights: The longest-tenured head coach at Westfield State in any sport, Laing has built the women's swim team at Westfield State into a winner since the program's inception in 1982. His 38-year record is 220-121-1, and the team has had a.500 or better winning percentage in 33 of the past 34 seasons, including an all-time best of 9-1 in 2007.  He has earned the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association diving coach of the year honors seven times (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 1991).

About Coach Laing: Laing recently retired as a full-time professor in the movement science department after nearly 40 years of service and remains an adjunct professor in the department.  He also coached the women's tennis team for nine seasons before it was suspended as varsity sport in 1989. Laing has serve two-year terms as president and vice-president of the New England Women's Swimming and Diving Association.

Before Westfield: Laing is a 1968 graduate of South Hadley High School and attended Springfield College. At Springfield he was an All-America diver and received his degree in physical education in 1972.

Coach Laing was thrown in the pool by captains Tia Pariseau (l) and Danielle MacDonald (r)
after his 200th career dual-meet victory in 2018.