Joey Reilman, the University of Tennessee record holder in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, joined Jim Henry’s staff as an assistant coach in June of 2022. Reilman spent the 2021-22 season as a volunteer assistant coach for Tennessee. He enters his fifth season with Yale in 2026-27.
While on Henry’s staff, the program has experienced remarkable growth and success. In 2026, the team produced seven NCAA Qualifiers, three All-American Honorable Mentions, six Ivy League Champion titles, seven All-Ivy Second Team honorees, 14 team records, and eight pool records — culminating in the Men's Ivy League Career High Point and the Men's Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year Award.
The 2025 season proved equally historic, highlighted by a 20th-place finish at the Men's NCAA Championships, eight NCAA Qualifiers, one First Team All-American and two All-American Honorable Mentions, the Women's Ivy League Career High Point Award, eight Ivy League Championship titles, six All-Ivy Second Team honorees, 18 team records, and seven pool records.
In 2024, the program sent six athletes to the Olympic Trials and two to NCAAs, while earning four All-Ivy Second Team honors, seven team records, and five pool records.
In his season on Tennessee’s staff, the Vols’ women’s team captured the SEC championship while the men were runners up. Reilman worked primarily with the middle distance and backstroke groups.
Reilman, who swam for the Vols from 2015-19, was also part of UT’s school record relays in the 400 and 800 freestyles. In total, he holds 16 times as an individual and as part of a relay that rank in the top 10 in Tennessee history. Seven of those marks are in the top two in the record books.
The six-time CSCAA All-American honoree won gold in the 200 backstroke during the 2019 SEC Championships to earn first team All-SEC status. During that same meet, he also brought home silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 100 back and 200 and 400 free relays.
Reilman also exceled in the classroom at Tennessee. He was the 2019 recipient of NCAA Elite 90 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the NCAA Championship. In addition, he was an NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship Award recipient in 2021.
Reilman earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 2019 and completed a master’s in systems engineering in 2022.
