AMES, Iowa - The Ames school community is mourning the loss of its longtime swimming coach and high school teacher.
The district says has Dan Flannery passed away from a brain aneurysm.
Flannery led the girls swim team to eight of the last 10 state championships, and he was at the helm when both the girls and boys teams won state titles in 2018.
He received the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union’s Golden Plaque of Distinction Award in 2018.
Flannery worked with students in the Alternative Learning Program as a high school teacher.
Ames High School will have counselors available Wednesday for anyone needing support. The school has also assembled a team of counselors, therapists, and licensed mental health providers ready to help out.
Ames Community School Superintendent Jenny Risner said Flannery loved the students, the school and the community.
"This is a huge loss for not only our school community, but the swimming community in Ames and across Iowa,” said Risner. “Dan was committed to excellence in his program and his success speaks for itself. But what was even more impressive was his ability to build strong relationships with his student-athletes that lasted well beyond high school. He made those he coached better athletes and better people.”