Updated 10/23/17
Alexandra (Sasha) Malanina is in her first season as an assistant swimming & diving coach at Rowan University.
Malanina joined the staff after serving as the Senior Coach for Condors Swim Club (NY) from 2016-17. She worked with age group athletes as well as senior swimmers, including Junior Nationals finalists. Malanina helped guide the team to a top-three finish at the 2017 Summer Metropolitan Junior Olympics, with multiple champions and High Point Award winners. Condors’ swimmers were National Club Swimming Association finalists and Speedo Sectionals qualifiers.
Prior, Malanina was the head coach and a senior group coach for the Riverdale Tritons in New York City (2015-16). She led the swimming and strength training for a senior training group of 15 swimmers. Malanina coached three athletes to a total of eight qualifying time standards for the 2016 Metropolitan Junior Olympics and Zone Qualifer, an all-time high for the club.
Malanina’s previous collegiate coaching experience was as a volunteer assistant swim coach and aquatics manager at Villanova University in 2010-11. She also coached numerous Villanova Wildcats swim camps with head coach Rick Simpson.
Malanina swam at the University of Maryland from 2003-07. She earned All-America honorable mention in the 400 IM at the 2006 NCAA Championships and as a member of the 800 freestyle relay in 2005. Malanina also qualified in the 200 IM in 2006. She was the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion in the 400 IM with a time of 4:14.77 and came in second (2:01.54) in the 200 IM. In 2005, Malanina anchored the 800 freestyle relay that broke the ACC record, finished third in the 400 IM and finished in the top eight in multiple distance events at the ACC Championships. Overall, Malanina was a six-time national qualifier.
A Russian native, Malanina swam for the Russian National Team from 1999-2002. She was the 2002 World Cup champion in the 800 freestyle and a silver medalist in the 400 freestyle. Malanina was also on the 2000 Junior European champion 400 medley relay. She was a Russian national champion multiple times and swam in the finals at the 2002 World Championships in Moscow and finished in the top-10 at the 2000 World Championships in Athens.
Malanina graduated from Maryland in 2008 with a degree in finance with a concentration in international business. She later earned a master’s degree in finance from Villanova (2011) and is currently pursuing a master’s in sports business from New York University. Malanina participates in triathlons and earned All-America honors in 2014. She qualified for the USAT Nationals in 2016.
