Dale Johnson is a man with a plan.
Johnson is the new head coach of the swimming program at Central Bucks South. It is his first varsity head coaching post.
“I told the team from the start that I want them to be the best teammates they can be,” Johnson said. “I want them to grow individually throughout the season, as much as they possibly can. We have high goals to get more people to states this year.
“I’m just looking for the team to grow in discipline, hold each other accountable and be great teammates.”
Johnson graduated from Penn State with a degree in biology in 2021. He swam for the Nittany Lions, where he was a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and twice named Academic All-Big Ten.
He is a former standout at Central Bucks West, where he graduated in 2017 with school records in three events; the 200-yard individual medley (1:57.23), the 100 butterfly (51.54) and the 100 backstroke (51.87). He was a team captain and the MVP in his senior season with the Bucks under former head coach Zach Wilson.
“Zach Wilson always cared so deeply about us as swimmers and we saw that day in and day out,” he said. “That made us want to try harder. Every single day of practice I want to bring that same atmosphere of positivity and really hopefully encourage them to be the best swimmers and teammates that they can be.
“States is an awesome meet because you have all these great swimmers coming together for that one big meet. There’s a lot of talent and a lot of fast swimmers. Being in that environment is not something that we’ll see until districts and leagues. I loved my state experience and having that knowledge of having been there myself will help me get them prepared as well as being at the college level.”
He was also a key member of the tennis team at CB West, playing first and second singles. Twice he finished third in doubles at the District One championships, and he was a two-time team MVP.
He is currently a building substitute at CB West, where he is also the assistant coach for boys and girls tennis. He is working on a master’s in education from Gwynedd Mercy.
“Hopefully within a year and a half I’ll be a full-time biology teacher,” he said.
Johnson is the third head coach in as many seasons for the Ttians.
“I’m hoping to bring some stability to the program,” he said. “I’d like to be here for a long time.”
Several former head coaches, Jeff Lake, Kevin Whalen and last year’s head coach, Mike McBryan, have remained on the deck as assistants.
“Coming on board as the head coach for my first season, having the assistant coaching staff that I have this year has been one of the best parts for me,” he said. “Kevin, Jeff, Stu (Kukla, the former head coach at Central Bucks Swim Team) and Mike McBryan, who was a phenomenal swimmer at North Carolina, are all great coaches. I think we have one of the most talented coaching staffs in the state.
“I can’t wait to see what this team can do. Hopefully we have the loudest team on the deck. If we have that team spirit, then it will be a good year for us.”
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