Who is Ryan Held’s Coach?

Ryan Held, born June 27, 1995, in Springfield, Illinois, is an American freestyle swimmer specializing in sprint events. He is currently coached by Herbie Behm at Arizona State University. Behm, appointed head coach of ASU's swimming program in April 2024, has been key to Held's recent performances.

Held's achievements include a gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Olympics and the U.S. Open record in long course 100 meter freestyle (47.39 seconds, 2019). He holds three world records in short-course relay events. At the 2021 World Short Course Championships, Held won silver in both 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle.

A North Carolina State University alumnus, Held competes in freestyle distances from 50 to 200 meters. He has medaled at multiple World Championships and remains a crucial component of U.S. relay teams as of 2024. Held's personal bests include 21.50 in 50m freestyle and 47.39 in 100m freestyle (long course).

Quick facts on Ryan Held’s Coach

Table of Contents

• Ryan Held's Coach

• Coach Herbie Behm's Coaching Career

• Coach Herbie Behm's Record

• Coach Herbie Behm's Awards & Achievement

Ryan Held's Coach

Herbie Behm is the head coach of the Arizona State University swimming program, a position he took in April 2024. Before becoming head coach, Behm worked as the associate head coach for both the men's and women's swim programs at ASU since August 2022. His coaching at ASU began in 2018 when he joined as an assistant coach.

Behm's connection to ASU runs deep, as he swam for the Sun Devil program from 2010 to 2013. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Communication.

Under Behm, Ryan Held has achieved success, including winning silver medals in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events at the 2021 World Short Course Championships. Held also set a U.S. Open record in the long course 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.39 seconds at the 2019 Phillips 66 Summer National Championships.

Coach Herbie Behm's Coaching Career

Early Coaching Experience

Behm's coaching career began very unexpectedly during his senior year at ASU. When the team's sprint coach left in January, Behm stepped up to coach a group of four swimmers. Under his coaching, this group broke a school record in a relay event.

Professional Coaching Career

After graduating from ASU, Behm got experience as an assistant sprints coach at the University of Utah for two seasons. During his time in Salt Lake City, he led a group of over 20 student-athletes and helped set 20 school records in just two years.

Behm then returned to his alma mater in 2018 as an assistant coach. He helped in the development of some of the world's elite swimmers, including Leon Marchand, who won an incredible eight NCAA individual titles under Behm.

Head Coach at Arizona State University

In April 2024, Behm was promoted to the position of head coach at ASU after the team won its first national title. This promotion came after working as the associate head coach since August 2022.

Coach Herbie Behm's Record

• The men's team won the 2024 NCAA Championship

• The women's team recorded a Top-25 finish at NCAAs

• Leon Marchand won eight NCAA individual titles, setting a new all-time record for a Sun Devil

• The team won its first two relay championships in the 2024 400 free relay & 400 medley relay

• Ilya Kharun won the 200 fly national title

• Zalan Sarkany became the first Sun Devil to win the 1650 free

Coach Herbie Behm's Awards & Achievements

• Played a key role in ASU's first national title in 2024

• Developed Leon Marchand into a three-time CSCAA Men's Swimmer of the Year

• Contributed to multiple NCAA individual and relay titles

• Helped set numerous school records at both Utah and ASU

• Coached athletes to gold and silver medals at the Pan-American Games

• Mentored swimmers who earned a total of 62 national final swims and broke eight national records