Mary Gardner has been the Head Coach of the men’s and women’s swimming teams while serving as the Aquatic Coordinator at Lebanon Valley College since the 1997-98 season. She began her tenure at LVC in 1992, teaching physical education swim classes. She graduated from Gettysburg College with a Sociology/Political Science degree in 1977. A 2011 inductee to the Lebanon Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Gardner first instructed swimming in 1974 and has continued doing so at the Annville-Cleona Community Pool and other area pools.
Gardner is the most successful coach in LVC Swimming history, having built a squad full of team pride and exceptional determination. In her first season, with just 20 swimmers, Gardner qualified two swimmers in six events at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships. A year later, as her team grew to 44 swimmers, her qualifiers did as well, qualifying eight in 13 events. In 2002-03, for the first time in school history, Lebanon Valley had at least one swimmer qualify for the MAC Championships in all 26 events.
Dr. Jan Ikeda Grove ’15, D’17, put together one of the most outstanding careers in program history under Gardner’s tutelage, setting 15 program records for the Dutchmen. As a first-year in 2011-12, Ikeda Grove made history as LVC's first-ever female MAC Champion and NCAA provisional qualifier, winning titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. She followed that up with two more medals in 2012-13, earning silver medals in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. She then repeated her championship double in 2013-14 as a junior, winning the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. After a year away from the pool, Ikeda Grove capped off her career by winning a pair of MAC Championships in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard butterfly during the 2015-16 campaign. She swam two NCAA “B” cut times in the process and posted her career-best time in the 200-yard butterfly. Additionally, she was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection after being honored as the MAC Women’s Swimming Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the first LVC swimmer to earn the prestigious honor.
Dr. Ian Lloyd ’18, D’20, also posted an excellent four-year career under Gardner’s watch, finishing his time at Lebanon Valley as a program record holder in 15 events. In addition to winning a plethora of silver and bronze medals, Lloyd was an eight-time All-MAC First Team honoree, a three-time All-Conference Second Team selection, a one-time All-MAC Third Team honoree, and a two-time All-Conference Honorable Mention pick. He ended 2017-18 with his second MAC Championship in as many years. He won gold in the 200 IM after winning the first conference title of his career in the 200 fly in the winter of 2017. His gold medal-winning effort of 1:53.58 in the 200 IM was the fastest time in both MAC and MAC Championship history in the event. For his academic prowess, he was named a Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and the MAC Men’s Swimming Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Gardner has guided several swimmers to success at the MAC Championships over the years, including when six men’s and women’s swimmers earned either First or Second Team All-MAC honors in 2015-16 under Gardner’s tutelage. Erica Wise ’19 also won a MAC Championship in 2015-16 by finishing first in the 50-yard freestyle as a first-year.
Gardner and her husband, Jim, were presented with the Hot Dog Frank Athletic Service Award in 2023 for their dedication to LVC's student-athletes. In 2009, Gardner was honored by the Annville Rotary for her outstanding community involvement, as she and Jim were instrumental in teaching hundreds of local youth to swim. In addition, her swim teams have been active in local Special Olympics, frequently running swim meets for Lebanon-area Special Olympians.
The Gardners reside in Annville, Pa. Their daughter, Mary Gardner Brandt ’13, is a graduate of Lebanon Valley who was a four-year swimmer and contributed to program records in the 200-yard medley relay, 200-meter medley relay, and the 200-meter free relay. Gardner Brandt now serves as an Assistant Coach at LVC. During her time at Lebanon Valley, Gardner Brandt also competed for the women’s golf team for three seasons and earned All-MAC First Team and Team MVP honors in 2013. Their son, David, preceded her as a 2009 graduate of the College and was also a four-year swim team member.
