HAYWARD, Calif. -- Ben Loorz will become the fifth head coach of the UNLV men's and women's swimming and diving program, the UNLV athletics department announced Wednesday. Loorz has spent the last six years at the helm of the Cal State East Bay women's swim team. 

The Pioneers enjoyed tremendous success during Loorz's tenure as one of the top programs in the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference (PCSC), a conference that includes Division I and II schools. 

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to grow the Swimming program at East Bay," said Loorz. "I would like to thank Dr. Morishita for his support of our student-athletes, as well as Debby De Angelis for hiring me in 2010. Sara Judd and now Joan McDermott have been great leaders for Athletics, and I appreciate having worked under their leadership. And of course those who have swum for me and coached alongside me have made all the difference. The network of people involved in aquatics at this university -- from my friend Lisa Cooper, to Dr. Nielson in English, to local club coach Mark Sand -- have made this an amazing experience."

Under Loorz, the Pioneer swim team has finished in second place at the PCSC Championships in three of the last four years. They competed at two straight NCAA Division II Championship meets, with a 15th place finish at the 2014 national championships and a 21st place finish in 2013.

"I'm thrilled for Ben to have his opportunity to take the next step in his career," said CSUEB Director of Athletics Joan McDermott. "But we are losing a tremendous coach whose impact in and out of the pool will be difficult to replace. Ben's teams performed at a high level in competition and in the classroom. He's also an incredibly genuine person who built great relationships with his student-athletes and colleagues at East Bay."

During his six years, 20 of the 21 program records for women's swimming have fallen. He has coached six All-Americans and over 40 All-Conference honorees at CSUEB. He was named Coach of the Meet at the 2014 PCSC Championships, and his top swimmer, All-American Caitlin Denise, was named Swimmer of the Meet for the same event. Ben's teams have also been consistently successful academically, earning College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America honors six straight times.

In addition, Loorz has devoted his efforts for the past five years as head coach of EBAT Masters, a masters swim program at Cal State East Bay that serves students, faculty, and the surrounding community.

Loorz has previous coaching experience at UNLV, serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2007-10, during which time the Rebels captured three straight conference championships. Prior to that, he spent two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Utah while he completed his M.S. in Communications.

"I am very pleased to be leaving East Bay Swimming on solid ground," Loorz added. "They are poised to do great things in the years to come!"

Loorz is the second CSUEB coach to accept a head position at the Division I level following the 2015-16 season of competition. His athletes have been consistently outstanding swimmers, students, and citizens at East Bay, and his successor will have big shoes to fill.