High school swimming: Avon coach Adam Crabtree gets 100th win

Adam Crabtree flew past the century mark Saturday.Avon's sixth-year swim coach recorded win No. 100 and kept going with four combined victories as the boys and girls teams swept Aurora and host Nordonia in double dual meet action.The boys topped Aurora 99-76 and Nordonia 107-72. The girls defeated Aurora 115-71 and Nordonia 102-84.The Eagles improved to 11-0 combined this season and Crabtree to 103-19-1 in his career. His girls record is 61-2 and his boys record 42-17-1."It has truly been a blessing working at Avon," said Crabtree. "My assistants, athletes, parents and admins have all helped make this program what it has become. When I got to Avon we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. My only goal was to teach the sport, bring a group of high schoolers some degree of normalcy and get them to understand that if they worked hard this sport can give so much back to them."Thankfully they listened. They helped set a standard and every group after has been different, but working hard, learning and competing to the best of our ability has been the tent poles of what we do."Crabtree had never been a head coach before arriving at Avon. He served one year as an assistant at Olmsted Falls (2019-20), five years at Hudson (2013-18) and 10 years at Brunswick (2003-13)."I never set out to win 100 meets, conference titles or district titles," said Crabtree, 40. "My success is because of my athletes that trust the process and my coaching staff that values every member on our team, whether they are an All-American or a first-year swimmer learning to swim."Crabtree guided the Avon girls to Lorain County's first district championship in 2023 and defended the title in 2024. He's led the girls to five Southwestern Conference titles (2021-25).He also took the boys to a pair of SWC titles (2021, tied with Avon Lake, and 2025).Crabtree was Division I Northwest District Girls Coach of the Year three years in a row (2022-24). He was SWC Girls Coach of the Year four times (2021-24) and SWC Boys Coach of the Year in 2025."Getting to 100 with no clear end in sight is extremely humbling," said Crabtree, a math teacher at Keystone High School. "I am grateful for the athletes I get to coach and the people I get to work with on a daily basis. They help me not only keep my love of the sport alive but have helped it grow."Crabtree earned his bachelor's degree in 2007 from the University of Akron in adolescent/young adult math education. He also has a pair of master's degrees. Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.