Scott Thacker was announced on April 11, 2022 as the new head men's and women's swimming and diving coach by the VMI athletic department.
In 2024-25, Thacker led the VMI men to a 5-3 record, their first winning season since 2021 and most wins since 2020, with three conference medals, while helping the women achieve a 2-8 record, tied for the most wins in a season and claim their first DI victory since 2014. During the season, Thacker led a trio of Keydets to weekly conference honors, with two Swimmers of the Week and one Diver of the Week. During the campaign, there were 43 team records were broken, and 84 total records (Rat, team, relay) were snapped during the season. There were also 77 program top 10 times set throughout the season. Four national invitational relay qualifying times, 14 individual qualifying times, and nine individual national invitational qualifiers were invited to the CSCAA National Invitational, the most all-time in team history. At the America East Championships, the Keydets totaled 46 finals appearances, the most since 2020. The women had the most finals appearances in team history, and the men produced their first relay medal since 2019 and produced the most medals at the championships since 2019. At the 2025 CSCAA National Invitational, the men placed 26th, scoring 102 points, a dramatic improvement from 2024, where the men placed 35th, scoring 16 points.
With his success during the 2024-25 season, Thacker received the VMI Distinguished Coaching Award, the honor given to the most outstanding coach each season at the Institute.
In May 2025, Thacker signed a contract extension to ink him with swim & dive through 2029.
Thacker's first year in 2022-23 was an outstanding one for the program, with the Keydets concluding the year by breaking 17 records at the America East Championships. The following season in 2023-24, Thacker led the squad to 26 broken records during the championship meet.
Thacker came off a highly successful five-year stint as head mentor of the Roanoke College swimming programs. He helped re-establish the program in 2017 and took the Maroons all the way to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's team title in 2021. He earned the ODAC and All-State men's Coach of the Year honors in 2021 and also was named the conference's men's coach of the year in 2019. The Roanoke women's team placed second in 2021.
While at Roanoke, Thacker coached the program's first D3 All-American and the first D3 All-American honorable mention. He had 85 All-ODAC Team selections and 44 conference champions, and his swimmers set five ODAC records. The Maroons' dual meet record in his tenure was 66-15 and Roanoke was recognized as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team.
Thacker served as the Director of Competitive Swimming for the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club in Waynesboro, Va. prior to his hire at Roanoke. From 2013-15 Thacker was the Associate Director of Competitive Swimming for the Lynchburg YMCA Piranha's under long-time coach TJ Liston.
Thacker's coaching career began shortly after his participation in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in July of 2012. A few weeks after assuming the Associate Director of Competitive Swimming position for the Greater Richmond YMCA Tritons, Thacker was promoted to Director of Competitive Swimming.
Prior to coaching, Thacker was a 17 year veteran of competitive swimming. Thacker was the 2005 VHSL state champion in the 100 breaststroke, a three time YMCA national champion, has held multiple Virginia Swimming state records, and was a four year member of the Florida State University men's swim team.
While at Florida State, Thacker secured top eight finishes in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes and went on to compete at the NCAA Championships in 2009. Thacker was a member of multiple FSU team relay records, and was the 2010 ACC Champion in the 100 breaststroke. Thacker's swimming career culminated with his participation in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials where he competed in the 100 breaststroke.
