Marcia Benjamin (USMS bio here, @coachmarciamarciamarcia) has been around pools from early morning to late nights for nearly 40 years.

She organizes. She coaches. She educates. She mentors. She analyzes. She collates. She inspires. She empathizes. She writes. She jokes. She communicates.

All performed at extraordinarily high levels.

Her talents and her tireless efforts were recognized by U.S. Masters Swimming when they recently selected her as its 2026 Coach of the Year.

Benjamin founded MEMO (Marcia’s Enthusiastic Masters of Oakland in 2011 and coached the team to the USMS Club of the Year in 2021. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley and a fixture in the Bay Area since 1987, she has also coached at the high school and college levels, and both for pool and open water swimmers of all ages and levels, both in person and virtually.

At the annual USMS awards presentation at the National Coaches Conference in Denver, Benjamin humbly acknowledged that the award “could not have been done without a miraculous effort from a bunch of eloquent MEMOs with super short memories. The crowd laughed at almost all my jokes and gave me a standing ovation when I was done. Best day ever.“

For information on MEMO, visit here. She explains, “MEMO welcomes swimmers of all abilities, from recreational swimmers who want feedback and encouragement to triathletes looking to improve their swim leg to former collegiate swimmers interested in training for pool meets and open water swims.”

© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

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