Lebanon Valley College Athletics

Mary Gardner has been the Head Coach of the Lebanon Valley College men’s and women’s swimming teams while serving as the Aquatic Coordinator since the 1997-98 season.  

Gardner 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. 

Gardner is the all-time winningest Head Coach for both of Lebanon Valley’s swimming teams, having recorded 207 total victories. She has led the men’s squad to 105 wins and the women’s team to 102 victories. Gardner has also guided swimmers to nine individual MAC Championships, including seven for the women’s team (Dr. Jan Ikeda Grove ’15, D’17 six times and Erica Wise ’19 once) and two for the men’s squad (Ian Lloyd ’18, D’20 twice). Additionally, Lebanon Valley’s men’s swimming team has earned 49 All-Conference honors at the MAC Championships, while the women’s team has collected 45 All-Conference accolades. One of the program’s top showings at the conference championship meet was when six men’s and women’s swimmers earned either First or Second Team All-MAC honors in 2015-16 under Gardner’s tutelage. Gardner also helped Ikeda Grove earn four NCAA Championship qualifications.

Ikeda Grove 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 by winning titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. She also became the program’s first NCAA provisional qualifier for her performance in the 100-yard butterfly. Ikeda Grove 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. She also swam an NCAA “B” cut time in the 100-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. Ikeda Grove was elected to the Lebanon Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2026, becoming the first member of the women’s swimming team to receive this honor. Former men’s swimmer Howie Spangler ’95 is the only other LVC swimmer to make the Hall of Fame. Spangler was inducted in 2011, during Gardner’s tenure. 
 
Lloyd 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. Lloyd 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. 

Gardner has helped guide swimmers to success in the classroom as well, as several student-athletes have been rewarded for their academic accomplishments. During her tenure, two swimmers have been recognized as the MAC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Ikeda Grove and Lloyd). Under Gardner’s leadership, 29 student-athletes (17 from the women’s team and 12 from the men’s team) have been selected to the CoSIDA/College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team since the 2001-02 season. Additionally, LVC swimmers have been listed on the MAC Academic Honor Roll 484 times since the 2008-09 campaign, and five swimmers (three from the men’s team and two from the women’s team) have been honored on the Academic All-MAC Team. Furthermore, 27 student-athletes have been listed on the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM) Academic Honor Roll.
 
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.