Ben Klimczak

Ben Klimczak joined the Florida Institute of Technology swimming program in September 2023 as an assistant coach and assistant aquatics director, quickly making a significant impact on the Panthers’ competitive success. During the 2023–24 season, he played a key role in developing multiple NCAA Championship qualifiers, including freshman Ákos Hajagos and junior Katherine Helminiak. Working closely with Hajagos throughout the year, Klimczak helped guide him to a runner-up finish in the men’s 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA Championships, the highest individual national placement by a Florida Tech swimmer in program history. Hajagos also earned two All-America honors, while the Panthers’ men’s team climbed to a No. 19 national ranking in the CSCAA Top 25 poll during the season. Prior to his arrival at Florida Tech, Klimczak gained valuable collegiate and club coaching experience across Florida. He served as an assistant coach with the Plantation Swimming Team beginning in 2022 and previously worked as a seasonal assistant coach at Nova Southeastern University, where he helped guide both the men’s and women’s programs to the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championships. Before transitioning into coaching, Klimczak was a standout student-athlete at Wabash College, competing for the Little Giants from 2017 to 2019. An NCAA Division III Scholar Athlete, he finished his career ranked in the program’s top 10 in four events and contributed to Wabash’s best-ever conference championship finish in 2019. A native of La Porte, Indiana, Klimczak earned a Bachelor of Arts in classics with minors in psychology and history from Wabash College, bringing a strong academic foundation and athlete-centered approach to his coaching role at Florida Tech.