Long Island University

Jon Pepaj joined the LIU men's and women's swimming and diving teams as head coach in August 2023. Pepaj arrived from St. Francis Brooklyn, where he served as an assistant coach for seven seasons. 

At the 2025 NEC Championships, LIU took home nine conference titles and has 21 top three finishes, setting two 2 NEC records. 

The LIU men’s team swept the freestyle events, winning conference titles in all five freestyle individual events. In addition, the Sharks won the men’s 200-yard freestyle and the 800-yard freestyle relays. LIU also claimed the 400-yard individual medley title. Freshman Finn Drysdale received NEC Male Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet and Rookie of the Meet honors at the NEC Championships. 

On the women’s side, LIU claimed gold and bronze medals in the women’s 400-yard individual medley and had silver medals in the women’s 200-yard butterfly and the 100-yard butterfly. Additionally, the Sharks placed third in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay.  

In Pepaj’s first season at LIU, 2023-24, the Sharks had a strong showing at the ECAC’s where the men’s team placed third overall and women placed fourth overall. 

The success continued in the 2024 NEC Championships, where the men’s team led by Pepaj claimed conference titles in the men’s 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley, and the 200-yard butterfly, as well as the women’s 100-yard butterfly. The LIU posted 17 podium finishes at the first conference championships under coach Pepaj. 

Having joined the St. Francis Brooklyn coaching staff in 2016, Pepaj planned workouts, practices, and meets while also being the lead coach for the stroke groups and in recruiting international and national swimmers. In seven seasons with St. Francis Brooklyn, including a season as a volunteer in the 2016-17 season, the Terrier men's swimming team racked up six top three finishes in the NEC Championships. In the 2022-23 season, the program produced two NEC champions in the men’s 500-yard freestyle and the men’s 800-yard freestyle relay. 

Pepaj previously swam for the Terriers as an undergraduate before joining the coaching staff. As a swimmer from 2011-2015, Pepaj won the Coach's Award in 2014 and was selected as team captain and team MVP during his senior year in the 2014-2015 season. During his time with the Terriers, Pepaj was a part of six program records; he set the individual record 100-yard butterfly record as a freshman and was a member of the 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard medley, 400-yard freestyle, 400-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle relay teams, which also set program-best times during his career. 

The Tiranë, Albania, native started swimming at age 10. He began to take competitive swimming seriously at 14. As a 17-year-old, he represented Albania in two World Championships (Manchester 2008 and Rome 2009) and one European Championship (Istanbul 2009). 

After serving as an assistant coach for two seasons, in 2018, Pepaj also became the head coach of the Manhattan Makos, a USA Swimming Club team. Pepaj oversaw the team's entire competitive program and produced swimmers who qualified for futures, sectionals and Eastern Zones Championships.