Dartmouth Assistant Coach Blair Bish Inducted Into Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame

HANOVER, N.H. – Dartmouth swimming and diving assistant coach Blair Bish was inducted into the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame in the Swimmer category on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the 2026 Induction Ceremony and Awards Banquet, held at the Dreamland Ballroom in Little Rock, Ark.

The Hall of Fame, run by Arkansas Swimming, recognizes people who have made outstanding contributions to swimming in the state. The banquet also honored the state's top swimmers, coaches, and volunteers of the year.

“We were very excited to see Blair be recognized by the Arkansas LSC for his outstanding swimmer career! Blair has done a great job sharing what he learned as an elite athlete with the members of our team. Now he is building a coaching career to be just as excited about and I am fortunate to get to work with him every day for this team” says head Coach Milana Socha.

Bish grew up in Little Rock and competed for the Arkansas Dolphins. He first made his mark as a junior swimmer, winning two Junior National titles: the 200 breaststroke in 2013 and the 100 breaststroke in 2014. He later placed 20th in the 100 breaststroke at the 2015 U.S. Nationals and 40th at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

He swam his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Arizona and finished his career at Missouri State University. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in an individual event all four years of his college career. He earned seven NCAA All-America honorable mentions, in the 100 breaststroke at both schools and in the medley relays at Arizona. At the 2019 NCAA Championships, he placed 10th in the 100 breaststroke, the highest individual finish at that meet in Missouri State program history.

At Missouri State, Bish won seven Mid-American Conference championships across his junior and senior seasons, in the 100 breaststroke and in relays.

Bish began coaching as an age group coach with Missouri State Aquatics while finishing his degree. He later spent three years as head coach of Springfield Aquatics and served as an assistant coach at Division II Drury University. In Springfield, he coached Paralympian Haven Shepherd, who earned a spot on the national team for three years and an international gold medal at the 2023 Parapan American Games.

Bish joined the Dartmouth coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 season and assists with operations and recruiting in addition to coaching. In his first season, the men's and women's teams broke multiple records, seven divers advanced to NCAA Diving Zones, divers earned two podium finishes at the Ivy League Championships, and five swimmers competed at the TYR Pro Series.

About the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame

The Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization that promotes amateur swimming and recognizes past contributions to swimming in Arkansas. Inductees are selected annually in three categories: Swimmer, Coach, and Friend of Swimming. More information is available from Arkansas Swimming.