USA Swimming selected its coaching staff for the upcoming Short Course World Championships in Beijing, appointing five assistant coaches to support head coach Billy Doughty.
Doughty takes charge of the American team after SwimSwam reported his initial appointment earlier this month. The staff features none of the coaches who served on the U.S. staff at the Pan Pacific Championships this past summer, though Herbie Behm and Noah Yanchulis both worked as assistants at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.
Behm, the head coach at Arizona State University, qualified Adam Chaney, Grant House and Ilya Kharun to the team. Cory Chitwood, an assistant at Indiana, brings an eight-swimmer contingent that includes current Hoosiers Liberty Clark, Alex Shackell, Josh Bey, Noah Cakir and Owen McDonald, alongside professionals Anna Peplowski, Finn Brooks and Van Mathias.
Margaret Zagrobelny of Virginia adds six swimmers to the roster, featuring current Cavaliers Claire Curzan and Maximus Williamson alongside professional group members Phoebe Bacon, Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh and Gretchen Walsh. Steve Jungbluth joins the staff as the head coach of Caeleb Dressel at the Sporting Jax Aquatic Club.
Yanchulis, associate head coach at Cal, brings Golden Bear swimmers Ryan Erisman and Rylee Erisman alongside professional Jack Alexy. Gabriel Jett also qualified for the roster but recently withdrew due to injury.
Doughty serves as a U.S. head coach for the first time since the 2019 World Junior Championships. That previous junior roster included several athletes heading to Beijing, such as Urlando, Alexy, Chaney, Curzan and Gretchen Walsh.
“Billy brings years of international experience and a passion for leadership that will help our team navigate an exciting but busy competition,” said USA Swimming National Team Executive Director & Coach, Greg Meehan.
“His communication skills and organizational abilities align with the direction of the National Team, and we are very fortunate to have Billy at the helm,” Meehan told SwimSwam.
The 2026 Short Course World Championships will run from Dec. 1-6 in Beijing, China.
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