Sabrina Buhagiar enters her fourth season as Head Men’s & Women’s Swimming Coach at Fairmont State University.
In 2022-23, two Falcons garnered MEC Swimmer of the Week honors, three Men’s Swimming school records, and three Feaster Center pool records. With the men’s team finishing runner-up in the 2023 GMAC-MEC Championships, the Falcons collected 21 All-MEC performances. Buhagiar helped lead the Falcons to 31 updates to the program’s All-Time Top 10 lists for the season. Buhagiar coached Oskar Cebula, who earned an NCAA B Standard in the 100-yard breaststroke and was named 2023 MEC Freshman of the Year. In January, Fairmont State Swimming was named a finalist for the 2023 Division II Award of Excellence after their outreach program with the Corridor Chapter of the Autism Society of West Virginia. Buhagiar's team has provided swimming lessons for members of the local non-profit organization since 2016. Following the spring semester, the women’s team achieved a 3.90 grade-point average, their highest in program history. Both teams were awarded CSCAA (College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America) Scholar All-America recognition for the year.
In the 2021-22 season, Buhagiar guided the Falcons to 26 All-MEC performances. The Fairmont State men's team finished runner-up at the Mountain East Conference Championships and broke a school record in the 200 Medley Relay in 1:31.65 (Patrick Fubio, Majester Abdul-Jalil, Pedro Gaspar, and Nathan Fubio). The Fairmont State women’s team finished the year with a 3-1 dual meet record and placed third at the conference meet. In April 2022, the women’s team set an academic program record with a 3.84 grade-point average earned during the spring semester. This resulted in recognition by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) as the leading grade-point average among all Division II women’s programs.
In her first season leading the program, the Fairmont State men turned in a dual meet record of 5-1 and finished second at the Mountain East Conference Championships. The Fairmont State women finished the year with a 4-2 dual meet record. During the 2021 conference meet, Fairmont State swimmers turned in 19 All-MEC performances, including five first-team finishes and two first-place finishes. The program was also recognized with three MEC Swimmer of the Week honors and broke four Feaster Center pool records during the 2021 campaign under Buhagiar's leadership. The men's and women's swim teams additionally earned Scholar All-America status from the CSCAA that spring, with the men’s team setting a program record with a 3.60 team GPA.
Buhagiar was elevated to head men's and women's swimming coach in August of 2021. Buhagiar was named head coach of the program after serving as interim head coach during the 2021 spring season.
"I was grateful to have been promoted as Interim Head Men's & Women's Swimming Coach at Fairmont State to carry out our 2021 spring term, and I am further honored to now secure the position at the University," said Buhagiar. "With the leadership and guidance from long-serving head coach Pat Snively and the support from staff, faculty, and dear friends in the community, I am thankful for this opportunity to continue leading our Fighting Falcons.
"Between the academic achievements, charitable initiatives, and development of team unity, our value-driven program is rooted in tremendous pride. I look forward to sharing this positive exposure with our current and future student-athletes," Buhagiar stated.
Prior to leading the program last spring, Buhagiar served as an assistant coach for the Falcons for two seasons following graduation. As an assistant, the Falcon women finished runner-up at the MEC Championships in 2019, while the men turned in a third-place finish. She was a standout swimming student-athlete under head coach Patrick Snively from 2014-18. In the pool, she led the Falcons to the program's first-ever conference championship in 2018. She also served as a team captain during her senior season and was a part of breaking seven swimming records during her career.
Her relay team set school records in the 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay events. The same relay team also set Feaster Center pool records in the 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay. During her senior season, Buhagiar also earned All-MEC honors in six different events, including two individual events (100 Breaststroke, 50 Freestyle) and four relay events (400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay).
As an undergraduate, she served for two years on the University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), volunteered time within the Athletics Department and provided swim lessons through the swim program's partnership with The Corridor Chapter of the Autism Society of West Virginia. During graduate school, Buhagiar was employed as the head coach for the Fairmont Area Swim Team (FAST), Marion County's year-round local club swimming program for swimmers of all ages and levels of experience. While coaching FAST, she led the team to receive a Safe Sport Recognized Club status through USA Swimming's Safe Sport Program to foster a fun, safe environment for its participants.
In October 2020, Buhagiar became involved with the Disability Action Center, a thriving not-for-profit agency in Fairmont, and assisted in implementing "Just Keep Swimming," a short-term program to focus on bringing motivation, wellness and fitness to its members.
Buhagiar holds an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Fairmont State. She is a member of the CSCAA, USA Swimming, the American Swimming Coaches Association of America (ASCA) as a Level 2 certified coach, and holds valid CPR/First Aid Certifications through the American Heart Association. She is also a graduate of Leadership Marion Class XXXIX through the Marion County Chamber of Commerce.
