ESTATE
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Chris Coneeney leaves a legacy of support for the swim and dive program by designating George Mason University as the beneficiary of a retirement plan asset
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By Amanda Milewski
You may not know his name—but chances, are if you are a George Mason sports fan, you are certainly familiar with his voice. The person behind that voice is Chris Coneeney, public address announcer for numerous Patriot sports programs for almost 30 years.
Coneeney’s foray into announcing began when he was team manager for the University of Virginia’s swimming and diving team. In addition to his regular duties, he started announcing during home meets—which he continued to do long after he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1991, commuting to Charlottesville from his home in Northern Virginia.
When, in 1998, George Mason hired now-retired head coach Peter Ward to build the Patriots’ swimming and diving program, Coneeney approached him and was brought on as the program’s announcer.
Coneeney’s voice carried, and other sports tapped him to announce at their home contests. In addition to swimming and diving, he is the voice of George Mason soccer, lacrosse, wrestling, baseball, softball, and volleyball. He has also announced at a variety of collegiate sporting events at the U.S. Naval Academy, American University, Georgetown University, for the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the America East Conference, the Colonial Athletic Association, and for numerous USA swimming meets at Potomac Valley Swimming.
His retirement in March 2025 after 34 years with the U.S. General Services Administration has allowed him to make announcing his full-time job. “It’s my passion and what I love to do,” Coneeney said. “I also really enjoy engaging and interacting with coaches, student-athletes, and support staff,” which he does on a regular basis at the events he works.
As Coneeney was considering retirement and what his post-retirement life would look like, “It made me think about how I could use my resources to help others,” he said. A longstanding friend of George Mason he has been involved in annual giving campaigns for teams he has worked with, but he was interested in giving back on a more carefully considered and long-term basis.
For this reason, he has designated George Mason as the beneficiary of a retirement-plan asset that will benefit the George Mason swimming and diving program well into the future. “I saw this as a way to contribute beyond my announcing duties,” Coneeney explained.
As in many sports, swimmers and divers and their teams are a community, with many athletes competing against each other since they were in youth programs. Coneeney recalled announcing meets where Katie Ledecky competed as a youngster. Now, he feels like he has come full circle—he announced George Mason Head Coach Jamie Greenwood’s name when he competed as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia. Coneeney’s long-standing work with the swimming and diving program and the gift he recently established will make that circle even fuller.
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