PROFILES IN EXCELLENCE: 2009-10 College Swimming & Diving Stories
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Table of Contents: Introduction 2009-10 Honorees Extra Items
Welcome to the 2009-10 College Swimming & Diving Honors. This document represents an attempt to collect and re-tell the great stories of the 2009-10 collegiate swimming and diving season. It was a terrific season to follow from a competitive end. March madness occurred in the pool on the women’s side as five teams competed for a national championship on day three of the meet.
2 6 - 23 24 - 27
There was also madness on the men’s side as Norovirus affected every competitor, either indirectly or directly, at the meet while delaying the University of Texas’ march toward another team title by one day. Being a first attempt at this independent venture, please excuse any imperfections or unintentional errors. This document and idea will develop with time.
Above; Gal Nevo (TheSwimPictures.com,) Carmen Stellar (Stanford Communications,) Coach Frank Keefe (Roberts) Front cover; Cincinnati swimmer Josh Schneider wins the 50 Free at 2010 NCAA meet. (TheSwimPictures.com)
Introduction: Let us Celebrate! Origins, beginnings, starting points. Bearing witness to great moments; Friday March 26th 2010. Each year, thousands of student You may already know that Josh athletes take on the new collegiate Schneider is the 2010 NCAA season with effort levels that champion in the 50 yard freestyle. combined are on par with what is However, his story is one that should required to sun the planet earth. remain alive. It is a perfect example of Though renewed vigor and intensity David and Goliath. Goliath in terms of are pre-requisites for a new season, an athletic administration making a eventually it is the act of competing decision. David in terms of proving that validates this extraordinary level that their decision will not stop him of effort, commitment and time. and his coach. His timely victory in Competition demands that swimmers the 50 free was the athletic story of and divers along with staff give more the year for the University of than in previous seasons. Once in Cincinnati. His season, how often do was just we discover that one of the our best was not Tales of effort, memorable enough? stories that Discovering then dedication and made what truly is a best sacrifice leading to 2009-10 effort begins. some outstanding special. Thousands of accomplishments are swimmers and Above and the basis for the story hundreds of beyond of college swimming meets. If you like From these and diving. what you great efforts see or at mentioned above least agree are scores of great with the idea, I am seeking your help stories. Tales of effort, dedication and as we enter the 2010-11 season. sacrifice leading to outstanding Please help grow this document into accomplishments are the basis for the something that is valuable. You can do story of college swimming and diving. so by nominating anyone for one the The idea is simple; to honor great expanding categories. The task of efforts that lead to exceptional turning this into something important achievement. The task is not simple: for our sport requires your assistance. it would be nearly impossible to tell Without it, this will be incomplete. the entire story of a particular season. I thank you for taking time to view The purpose for this initial attempt this publication and look forward to becomes this: to profile and highlight the chance to promote your athletes a sample of the great efforts that went and or team. Go Swimming & Diving! into each season. Thank you, Bill Roberts Page 2
EL-E-VATION. Coach Tom Johnson and team elevate at EL-E-VATION. Coach Tom Johnson and team elevate at Their relay win, pictured here, helped the Cowgirls finish Their relay win, pictured here, helped the Cowgirls finish
the Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships. the Mountain West & Diving Championships. second overall, theirSwimming highest placement in team history. second overall, their highest placement in team history.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Swimmer-Female
Meredith Budner, JR, Towson
Lyndsey DePaul JR, USC
Nicole Dorvinen SO, UW-Eau Claire
“And Your Top Qualifiers.� Also nominated and very worthy of national recognition, these swimmers made the top 8 for their outstanding achievements in 2009-10. Jen Friedlander, SO, Middlebury
Liv Jensen SO, California
Kenzie Hewson SO, Wyoming
Iuliia Kuzhil JR, Kansas Page 8
Laura Lindsay SO, Toledo
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Swimmer-Female
TheSwimPictures.com
Ashley Danner
Multiple female swimmers had national level break-out seasons this year. Lyndsey DePaul of USC along with CAA competitors Meredith Budner of Towson and Ashley Danner of George Mason had terrific seasons and NCAA meets in 2010. Ultimately, Danner was most consistent in placing 16th, 6th & 2nd to made the greatest jump from 2009 (2 to 31 points.) Coach Peter Ward knew he was getting an accomplished swimmer in
the fall of 2008. She has made the most of her two seasons to date; dominating at the league level and competing in two NCAA championship meets. However, it is at the NCAA meet where she seems to shine. As remarkable as the points she earned and placements taken, she managed to put together three impressive time drops in a season Page 9
where dropping time from 2009 has been challenging for most. Taking it from good to great, her time drops were considerably significant, as she averaged over a second per 100 better for each of her three races in 2010. Her ability to swim her best when it mattered the most represents a combination of factors all of which have earned her the honor of 2010 BreakOut Swimmer of the Year.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Swimmer-Male
Andrew Elliot SO, Ohio State
Michael Flach FR, South Carolina
Chad La Tourette SO, Stanford
“And Your Top Qualifiers.� Also nominated and very worthy of national recognition, these swimmers made the top 8 for their outstanding achievements in 2009-10.
Daniel Murata SO, Incarnate Word
Scott Spann JR, Texas
Tom Shields FR, California
Jonathan Poppele SO, UW-Eau Claire Page 10
Austin Witherow FR, George Mason
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Swimmer-Male
TheSwimPictures.com
Conor Dwyer
Author Jim Collins created a bestselling book in 2003 using the phrase Good to Great. The book, sub-titled Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, detailed that a culture of discipline was a common denominator in the profiled companies. Though Collins leaves his readers without a doubt regarding the process and definition of going from good to great, his phrase was redefined in the pool this year. In March of 2009, when the best swimmers in the land gathered to compete at the NCAA Championship meet, Conor Dwyer, then a sophomore at the University of Iowa, was not at that meet. An accomplished swimmer and 2008 Olympic Trials participant, he had impressive credentials as a Big
proved to be the perfection combination as Dwyer established himself as a household name in 2010. His SEC accomplishments alone were enough to earn him the honor of
Ten swimmer. However, he had not earned a trip to the national meet in his first two seasons. Dwyer then transferred out of the University of Iowa. His meteoric rise to NCAA supremacy is difficult to contain in words. A terrific racer, training at the University of Florida under the leadership of Coach Gregg Troy Page 11
break-out swimmer. To do the same thing at the NCAA level is awesome. In going from non-participant to multiple NCAA champion in one season, Jim Collins would have to agree, is worthy of a new chapter in the Good to Great.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Swimmer-Male
Middlebury Swimming & Diving
John Dillon
There is not much more John Dillon of Middlebury College could have achieved during his junior season. Conference champion, Check. National qualifier, check, National Swimmer of the Week, check. Multiple event winner while dropping a ton of time at the NCAA meet, check. All American and new national record holder, check.! His achievements are superlative. His time drops are jawdropping. His record time in the 200 fly (1:45.01) not only would have qualified for the Division
I men’s meet, he would have placed 19th at the 2010 meet. He broke the oldest men’s Division III record in the books dating back to 1997. In his third event, the 200 back and an event he swam just once during the dual meet season, he placed second overall at the 2010 NCAA meet. Additionally, John’s winning time in the 100 fly (47.58) and freestyle split in the 400 free relay (44.80) in the same meet make him one of the most versatile swimmers in Division III history thanks to his ability to break fifty seconds for 100 yards in three out of the four competitive strokes. Page 12
What makes his break-out season even more remarkable is the fact that he was out of competition during the previous season due to academic and personal reasons. With a renewed focus and established priorities, John entered the season set on winning an event at the 2010 national meet. Though many share that goal, only one earns the title of “NCAA Champion.” That ability to achieve what you believe in your mind has earned John Dillon the honor of break out swimmer.""
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Diver-Male
Clarion Sports Information
Logan Pearsall
In most cases, a transfer from Division I to II is going to experience some initial success. The story of Logan Pearsall, who transferred from Rhode Island to Clarion University is unlike most cases. He did in fact experience early success as a member of his new team along with longtime coach Dave Hrovat. However, his level of competitiveness went through the roof as he put on a record setting display of aerial prowess in 2009-10. As a freshman diver for URI in 2007-08, Pearsall was a mid-level diver in the Atlantic-10 conference. Though he placed sixth on the 1meter and was the top scorer for Rhode Island, he was just the third top
performing freshman within the Atlantic-10. In 3-meter diving, he did not place in the top eight. It would be Pearsall’s final collegiate competition for Rhode Island as the school discontinued it’s men’s program. His impact at Clarion was immediate. In his first national competition at the collegiate level, he took first place on the same event he did not even final in a year earlier at Page 13
the 2008 A-10 meet. He backed up his 3-meter with a second place finish on 1-meter to complete his first season with Clarion. It may not seem possible for a person to break out from the 2008-09 season which Pearsall put together. However, by sweeping both boards and earning NCAA diver of the meet while breaking a 16-year division record on 3-meter, Pearsall again proves that he is more than just ordinary.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Career Improvement-Female
West Chester Sports Information
Jackie Borkowski
she is a finalist for the Honda Award for Division II athlete of the year. As a team member, she helped West Chester win four straight conference meets which is a first for the women’s program. At the national level, West Chester placed fourth on two occasions while never finishing below 7th during her career. (2010 & 2007:4th, 2009:5th, 2008:7th)
At the end of any season, how many swimmers can actually state that they had career best times in every event swum at championships? From that select group, how many then can say the same thing for each of their four years of collegiate swimming? One who can affirmatively answer yes to both questions is Jackie Borkowski of West Chester University (PA.) Her outstanding consistency to improve led to numerous and significant high honors throughout her career. She earned both conference (PSAC) and Division II Swimmer of the Year awards. She earned multiple All Americans (22 total including 11 individual) earned during her time representing West Chester. In addition, Page 14
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Career Improvement-Female
TheSwimPictures.com
Annie CHaNdler
If you look at the career progression of Annie Chandler, you will have a difficult time finding an event within a season in which she did not improve. Her drops were steady and consistent across her primary events as Chandler made what is difficult appear smooth. To do this while operating at the highest level available annually makes her
progression that much more remarkable. Additionally, she coupled dropping time with improving her individual finishes. From 2009 to 2010, Chandler moved up the NCAA ladder from seventh and fourth to third and first in the 200 and 100 breaststroke events respectively. In dropping over a full second, it was her victory in the 100 that was one of the stand out swims of the meet in 2010. Page 15
In a year when it was awfully challenging to drop time and establish new records, Chandler was exceptional in setting what turned out to be the lone NCAA & NCAA meet record. Hailing from one of the elite programs of this century in college athletics, Chandler’s career development is a special example of the Arizona program.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Career Improvement-Diver
Stanford Athletics Communications
Carmen Stellar
Carmen Stellar did what most collegiate swimmers and divers hope to do upon arrival to their new program as a freshman competitor: improve enough to become a competitor at the NCAA Championship meet. Only a handful of competitors across the country are at the NCAA level prior to arrival. And only a few will grow into NCAA
competitors during their time with their respective program. Stellar demonstrated a near perfect linear progression from 2007 to 2010. During her first season, she was a top-16 competitor on both boards at the PAC-10 Conference meet. The next year, she placed third at the conference level and placed in the top-16 in Zone competition. As a junior in 2009, Stellar established herself as a household name in Pac-10 diving. At the 2009 Zone competition, she placed fourth, third then second in 3-meter, 1-meter and platform competition respectively. Stellar had earned her way to her first NCAA Championship. In 2010, Stellar helped her Stanford win the team title at the Page 16
Pac-10 meet while placing top eight in three events for the second consecutive season Though she did not make it back to the 2010 NCAA meet, she earns this recognition since she started out as a walk on member of the Stanford program.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Career Improvement-Male
www.TheSwimPictures.com
Eric Knight
The highest placing Eric Knight achieved at the state high school level was fourth place as part of a 200 medley relay. Coming out of Westfield High School and in the backyard of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, Knight was reluctantly offered a chance to swim on Coach Peter Ward’s team. That was all he needed as once he made the roster, it did not
take long for him to establish himself both within the team and then CAA. By the end of his freshman year, he has dropped enough time to raise the eyebrows of his teammates By the end of his sophomore year he went from a 1:00 to a :55 100 breaststroker as he became a bonafide star within the league. According to his coach, “Eric Knight’s college swimming career has Page 17
been nothing short of amazing. When he came out of Westfield HS he could barely make our team or swim breaststroke legally. Then after making huge improvements he suffered a shoulder injury his senior year but was able to recover from surgery and come back better then ever. It is a great story.” Of significant note and for good measure, he won the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association’s Winter Scholar Athlete Award.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Career Improvement-Male
www.TheSwimPictures.com
Bryan O’Connor
The collegiate career of Arizona’s Bryan O’Connor is a great story about the development of an athlete. Prior to his arrival on campus at Tucson in the fall of 2006, the highest standard in yards he had achieved were US Open cuts in the 200 backstroke (note; he was a more accomplished LCM swimmer.) In viewing his career
improvement grid, he is nearly perfect in dropping time across each line. Despite experiencing big time drops in 2006-07 as a freshman, he did not make the NCAA meet in Minnesota. However, he had a break out season in 2008, the same year Arizona won it all, and made it to his first collegiate national championship meet. After 2008, he went on a quest to further help his team in scoring individually. Despite another big season in 2009, he would have to put in one more season of work before scoring individually. In 2010, he not only scored but placed in the top eight in both backstroke events. He just missed placing in his third event by .16 in the 200 IM. Additionally, O’Conner Page 18
dropped time from 2009 in his 100 back while leading off the Cat’s 200 medley relay with a scorching 21.52. His lead-off time was fourth best in the field! In a recent story about O’Connor, his coach, Frank Busch, puts it best in saying, “It’s a story about grit and determination. There’s nothing fancy about it; it’s perseverance.”
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Teams
California-MEN Coach Dave Durden
Incarnate Word-MEN Coach Phillip Davis
Louisville-MEN Coach Arthur Albiero
“And Your Top Qualifiers.” Also nominated and very worthy of national recognition, these teams made the top 8 for their overall outstanding achievements in 2009-10.
Emory-WOMEN Coach Jon Howell
Susquehanna-W Coach Jerry Foley
Stanford-WOMEN Coach Lea Maurer
West Virginia-W Coach Vic Riggs Page 19
Virginia-MEN Mark Bernardino
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Ohio State Communications
Break-Out Team-Male
You could say that the new era for The Ohio State University men’s swimming & diving team arrived in 2007. It was at that time that they achieved third place in the Big Ten, a 12th place NCAA finish and their highest national placing since 1983. However, it also was the start of a climb toward conference supremacy and an elite status nationally. Looking back, the conditions were ripe for what transpired leading up to their achievements in 2010. You have an athletic department that offers and
supports a broad based program for student-athletes while additionally creating the way for a state of the art facility that opened in 2005. You have an experienced coach, passionate and active within the sport with proven success prior to the opening of the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. A school that is a member of the Big Ten, located in a strong swimming state with about as complete of a roster that a coach could ask for with athletes from 19 states in addition to seven different countries. Combine these factors with the traditional ingredients of a successful season including time, effort and commitment and you may achieve something special. After winning the Big Ten Championship in February, Coach Bill Page 20
Wadley accurately summed it up in stating, “Everybody just have a seat and relax for a moment. Take a deep breath. Something has just happened on the campus of Ohio State University that will make believers out of anyone who doesn't believe that dreams do come true.” 2010 does not mark the end of a climb for Coach Bill Wadley’s program. Rather, the year will serve as a beginning point for a new era of prosperity as Ohio State is here to compete at the top level for many year’s to follow.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Break-Out Team-Female
TheSwimPictures.com
They did not win their conference meet in 2010. They ranked sixth in the final CSCAA poll in February 2010 despite a record of 10-2. Following a seventh place finish in 2009, other programs were expected to compete for the team title at the national championship meet. However, it was the University of Florida that made it to the top after event number twentyone was complete at the Boilermaker
Aquatic Center on the campus of Purdue University. In 2006, Georgia scored 1094 points to Auburn’s 1075 to win the SEC Championship. Auburn went on to win the NCAA championship that year by three points. Since then, each team to win a national championship has won their respective conference meet in that same year. Enter 2010 Page 21
and going in with the recent trend that your NCAA team champion will originate from the pool of conference champions, your likely teams would have been Texas A&M, Stanford and Georgia. In what turned out to be one of the most exciting national championship meets ever, Florida defied the odds to win the team title by 2.5 points. In an interview soon after the meet was complete, Coach Gregg Troy accurately summed it up to the media by saying, “It was a true team effort.” If the close meet in 2006 was a predictor for 2010 for women’s swimming & diving at the NCAA level, get your tickets now for the meet in 2014 as it will be another one to remember!
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Most Exciting Meet-Male Tennessee (11) vs. Georgia (12) Anatomy of an exciting meet. January 23, 2010. Athens, Georgia. With hundreds of competitions " In a January battle between SEC throughout the season, it is difficult to foes, this meet was highlighted by a capture and decide which few make back and forth of strong events for each the publication. Some factors that program. Thirteen points or more were make a meet special include; a close scored in eight of fourteen individual final score. A meet with multiple lead events. Matt Bartlett’s close win in the changes. A meet that is decided in 100 Free along with three late sweeps the final event. A meet with multiple (500 FR, 100FL & 200 IM) were the close races for all scoring places. difference makers in this extremely close Was there a comeback? The level of rivalry between the schools along with contest. Tennessee, winner of both relays, was able their current to make it ranking make “...Arizona then powers close at the the meet very end. special. Add in their way to close out the Upon winning the emotion and meet by winning 6 of the final by a score of meet 7 events. Of the 6 event 152-148, atmosphere to Coach create amazing victories, the ‘Cats swept Bauerle stories. And last, three while taking 1-2 in stated, “Today perhaps another to clinch the win by was a lot of schedule a meet fun....I am on January a score of 157-141.” really proud of 23rd! the guys.” California (4) vs. Stanford (2) February 20, 2010. Stanford, CA. In one of the greatest rivalries in the history of collegiate swimming and athletics, the 2010 version of the Big Swim did not disappoint. An early disqualification required even greater efforts from the Bears which they got in several events including Tommy Shields (200 Free), the IM’ers and relays. However, Stanford possessed terrific performances as well including diving, distance freestyles, and the 200 strokes. While competing in the classic thirteen event format, the Cardinal made it five in a row in the rivalry to win the meet 123.5-119.5.
Arizona (3) vs California (4) January 23, 2010. Berkeley, CA. " The number four-ranked Cal Bears hosted Pac-10 rival and thirdranked Arizona Wildcats in a thriller. After eight events, Cal was in total control leading 89-60. Nathan Adrian’s win in the 100, which capped the individual hattrick for him, put Cal up by 38 after nine. Arizona then powers its way to close out the meet by winning six of the final seven events. Of the six event victories, the ‘Cats swept three while taking first & second in another to clinch the win by a score of 157-141. Do yourself a favor and check out the results. This was a meet highlighted by several close races. Page 22
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Most Exciting Meet-Men
Texas A&m(19) @ SMU (23) January 29, 2010. Dallas, Texas When two storied swimming & programs, both nationally ranked and from the same state, get together late in the season, it eventually develops into more than just a dual meet. The Texas A&M Aggies, led by Coach Jay Holmes, and the SMU Mustangs, led by Coach Eddie Sinnott have a rivalry that has become an event. !
This year’s meeting had met all of the criteria to be recognized alone in studying the results. However, what makes it even more impressive is the number 240; a number which represents the point total of each team over the past two seasons in head to head competition. In 2009, SMU took the final relay to win the meet by a score of 122-121. In 2010, Texas A&M did exactly what they needed to do in event thirteen by placing first and while hanging on to a close third in the 400 free relay to win 119-118. Six lead changes took place over the course of 13 events with the excitement beginning in the first race. Down at the 200, A&M’s Boris Loncaric created a defining swim which put the Aggies in a position to Page 23
win the 400 medley relay. The other defining sequence of the meet appeared to take place just after Ed Downes of SMU came from behind in the 200 fly to win and put his team in front by six. Next in the 100 free, with his teammate leading the field, Casey Strange moved from third at the 50 to second at the 100 by .01 to just touch out the SMU sprinter and earn a point that turned out to be a difference maker. Look for another event at College Station this December!
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Most Exciting Meet-Female in the 200 free ignited the meet for Tennessee vs. Louisville both teams as they went on to trade October 15, 2009, Louisville, KY punches in the 100 back, 100 breast, An early season non-conference 50 free, and 200 back. Kate Fesenko meet up is an excellent method to provided those in attendance with not lead to some fast swimming. This is a little, but rather a lot of foreshadow exactly was took place as Louisville in sweeping both backstrokes. hosted the Lady Vols in their season Perhaps the best race of the meet opener. Four consecutive key events in the came in the 400 free relay as both middle of the meet, 50 FR, Diving, 100 teams posted NCAA B cut times. Indiana held off a hard charging FR and the 200 Back, proved to be Cardinal relay to take the relay by the significant as the closest contests of closest of the meet’s first margins. 14 events came during this “ I could not be prouder of California (5) stretch. The how we fought for that vs. USC (9) final two events win,” said U of L head Jan 29, 2010, were climatic coach Arthur Albiero. “It Los Angeles, with Louisville’s is another step in our CA One can Leslie Van expect evolution as a program. Winkle taking a nothing less All credit goes to the very close 200 than a close incredible leadership we IM to keep her meet when got from our seniors.” team in position two Pac-10 to win. The teams get Cards followed together in late suit with another come-from-behind to January. This was an interesting meet take the 400 free relay. in that the score was close despite In a meet that featured six lead just a few close races between the changes with none more important teams for first place. However, after than the final one, it was Louisville three events it appeared that every who upset Tennessee by a score of race was going to be down to the final 152 to 148. stroke. In this case, the battle took place event-by-event as the teams Indiana (14) vs. Louisville (13) went back and forth with the strength January 20, 2010, Louisville, KY of their front-line competitors. Each team was competing in the final dual meet of the season. The two California won a close opening relay teams were eventual Big East runners- and completely owned the last relay. Katka Hosszu narrow victory in the up versus Big Ten champs. Though 200 free along with a strong run the difference in score was not in the between 1m and 3m diving proved to single digits, there were enough close races that either team could have won be the difference for USC as they upset the Bears by a score of 153-147 this meet. A three-way battle for first Page 24
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Most Exciting Meet-Women
Georgia(1) @ Texas(4) January 9th, 2010. Austin, Texas ! This meet lived up to the anticipation and hype that the swimming community expected. Going into one of the first meets of the new calendar year, Coach Jack Bauerle was quoted as saying, “The meets with Texas‘ women are always challenging.” And after one event, one can see just how correct he was in his preview comments. Each leg of the opening 200 medley relay was a battle. The swimmers were never separated by more than .17 which came at the end as Texas‘ Karly Bispo split a 22.24 to secure a victory. Georgia’s line-up depth along with key victories in the individual events kept them in contention to win the meet. Lady Bulldog diver Hannah
Moore picked up critical points on both boards in two of the closest contested events of the day. One could argue that with three Texas divers not far behind, without these two wins, the meet is over long before the final event of the meet. For those on the side of Texas, it is difficult to single out whose points were more important than another in their quest to take down the number one team in the land. They had terrific efforts and performances all over the place to set the team up for the win in the final relay. However, Longhorn swimmer Jess Guro’s win in the 100 back has to be an event you look back on as a difference maker. The score going into event number fifteen, the 400 IM, was 135 to Page 25
130 in favor of Georgia making it the other must-win event for either team. Longhorn teammates Leah Gingrich and Laura Sogar promptly placed first and third to make the score 142-141, Texas. Each team left nothing on the table as they turned the meet into a thriller with their efforts in the final relay. Two Olympians, Kathleen Hersey of Texas along with Georgia’s Allison Schmitt, went head to head on the anchor leg. Hersey held off Schmitt as both swimmers were in the :48 range to secure the win in the relay for the Longhorns that gave Texas the points it needed to exceed the 150 mark to take the meet, 153-147.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Profiles in Excellence: Josh Schneider NOTE: Originally published in Collegeswimming.com 3/25/10 THE HOPES OF A PROGRAM Two years ago the University of Cincinnati decided to eliminate scholarships for men's swimming.# The blow was a crippling one for the Bearcats, but that hasn't held Josh Schneider back.# Tonight the UC sprinter will head into the 50 freestyle with scores of supporters in the stands and the hopes of a program riding his kick.# Being here, in a position to help his program in ways outside of just points motivates the excitable Schneider.# "This means everything," he explained poolside, "they're even considering bringing back scholarships." That later point is one that has UC head coach Monty Hopkins excited. He hopes that the UC Administration can see that guys like Schneider deserve to compete on the national stage and that, "Given the opportunity more schools like ours can do that." His words are more than hopeful optimism as UC makes progress towards returning its program to full funding.# "I think we may be the team that turns the trend," explains Hopkins.# To that end, the UC administration has turned up the support of Bearcat swimming.# This week assistant athletic director Mike Waddell made arrangements to attend the meet and provide tickets and dinner for a host of supporters and influence makers.#
"You don't often have an Assistant Athletic director going to those lengths to help your program," explained Hopkins.# "I think Mike Waddell and Mike Thomas can be famous for saying, 'you know what? Its easy to find a way to cut a program - we found a way to make one better." Hopefully Schneider can help stimulate that interest, but either way he's not ruffled.# For Schneider, he's more concerned about his mom who had chartered a bus and made reservations at three hotels to house upwards of eighty supporters.# The postponement of the meet has understandably made the event a challenge. Again though Schneider remains nonplussed.# "This is just a hiccup.# I spoke with my mom this morning and she's happy, so I'm happy and everyone's happy." If that comfort zone is one of Schneider's strengths, so too is swimming in one of his favorite pools.# "Every time I've swum here, I've swum really well.# I'm at my peak, in a pool I like.# I have no excuses so I'm going to get out there and let it ride." The hopes of a program ride with him. NOTE: Originally published in Collegeswimming.com 3/26/10 ONE SWIMMER & THOUSANDS OF FANS Nobody's talking about who's sick now.# At the first night of the NCAA Championships, the storyline turned to a tight team race and a storybook Page 26
performance from a local kid.# Other highlights on the night included a Wolverine with a broken hand taking to the water for valuable team points, a small Gator squad going to the blocks time and time again for great swims, and a Longhorn freshman finding his way to the wall first.#
Well you’ve all heard of the SI curse, well apparently the opposite is true for Collegeswimming.com. This morning we featured a story on Cincinnati Bearcat Josh Schneider who finished third in this morning’s preliminaries. Tonight the Bearcats’ lone entrant in the meet jumped out to a 9.27 first 25 split just behind favorite Nathan Adrian’s 9.20 and even with Texas’ Jimmy Feigen, but Schneider absolutely jumped off the bulkhead and out split Adrian by .16 to win on the final length. After the race Schneider let us all know how he felt “I feel complete. Complete! I can’t finish the season any better than that. I can’t finish my senior year any better than that. The race was perfect.” Hopefully the Cincinnati Athletic Department will reward the Bearcat program with a restoration of some well deserved scholarship dollars. Adam Brown from Auburn took third, followed by Feigen, Auburn’s Gideon Louw, surprise finalist Josh Daniels from Cal in sixth and the two Cardinal Dunford and Colville followed in seventh and eighth. Graeme Moore of Cal powered to a 19.29 to win the consol heat just ahead of Minnesota’s Michael Richards. Just one final note on Schneider, the Bearcat has not lost the 50 all year…..all year.
2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Well said in 2009-10 Bob Schaller: I know more about Cincinnati’s outstanding academics than I do about any sport other than football and maybe basketball – is the swim program on the rise? Josh Schneider: UC swimming has gotten more attention in the last couple of months than I have experienced collectively in my career here. But that’s what it takes in swimming – having success – because swimming is not a fan-driven sport here. It doesn’t get a lot of recognition here because it doesn’t get a lot of attention. But now, people are starting to care about our swim team here. But I understand that: It’s all about earning your stripes. No one would care about supporting the football team if they didn’t win, and they won back-to-back Big East championships. We can’t ask for support, we have to earn it. 20 Question Tuesday, The Swim Network, Bob Schaller with Josh Schneider “Bryan came out of nowhere," Busch said. "It's a story about grit and determination. There's nothing fancy about it; it's perseverance. I'll tell you this: When a senior gets a chance to blossom and then does the work necessary to peak at just the right time, it makes coaching worth it. It's so rewarding. That's why you coach; to get a young man like Bryan O'Connor and watch him grow." Coach Frank Busch on Bryan O’Connor in recent story, Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Tuesday, April 6, 2010
“Everybody just have a seat and relax for a moment. Take a deep breath. Something has just happened on the campus of Ohio State University that will make believers out of anyone who doesn't believe that dreams do come true.” Coach Bill Wadley, Opening paragraph of the OSU release on winning the Big Ten Championship in February. Release: 2/28/2010 Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
“Peter Daland. Always structured, always formal, always with a historical sense and sensitivity to build a structure that will last, and always a mentor to other coaches, Peter has spent most of his years since his retirement in major leadership roles within our sport, both nationally and internationally. Nort Thornton. If Peter is East coast formal, Nort is California cool. Brightly colored shorts and all.... I almost said “casual” for Nort, but there is nothing “casual” about the focus and the intensity Nort brings to his coaching on deck. Nort, like Peter, is a competitor.” Coach Tim Welsh, University of Notre Dame, 2010 CSCAA Convention, Baltimore Segment of his spectacular introduction for the Speedo Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Coach Peter Daland and Coach Nort Thornton.
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2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Career Improvement grids CHANDLER: HIGH SCHOOL PR 2005-06 23.78
50 Freestyle
2006-07 Freshman
2007-08 Sophomore
2008-09 Junior
2009-10
23.36
23.43
22.83
22.97
Senior
200 IM
2:05.32
2:00.25 (24th)
1:58.87 (16th)
1:57.02 (16th)
1:58.44 (19th place)
100 Breaststroke
1:00.94
1:00.03 (2nd)
59.98 (3rd)
59.18 (4th)
58.06 (1st place)
200 Breaststroke
2:14.48
2:12.50 (14th)
2:10.64 (8th)
2:08.94 (7th)
2:07.68 (3rd place)
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
BORKOWSKI: HIGH SCHOOL PR 2005-06
2006-07 Freshman
50 Freestyle
23.94
23.77
23.50 (6th)
22.89 (3rd)
22.87 (1st place)
100 Freestyle
54.20
51.90
51.08 (4th)
49.84 (2nd)
49.77 (1st place)
100 Backstroke
58.39
56.91 (4th)
56.02 (3rd)
55.55 (3rd)
not listed
200 Freestyle
2:00.9
not listed
not listed
1:50.11
1:49.31(1st place)
2005-06 (Freshman)
2006-07 (Sophomore)
2007-08 (Junior)
2009-10 (Senior)
ERIC KNIGHT: HS PR 2004-05 50 Freestyle
Not listed
21.19
20.87
20.00
19.84
100 Freestyle
Not listed
46.80
45.54
44.45
44.06
1:04.69
1:00.35
55.20
54.93
56.95
200 Breaststroke Not listed
2:12.21
2:02.14
2:00.00
Swam 200 Free (1:35.85)
2006-07 (Freshman)
2007-08 (Sophomore)
2008-09 (Junior)
2009-10 (Senior)
100 Breaststroke
BRYAN O’CONNOR: HS PR 2005-06 50 Backstroke
24.53
23.15
not listed
23.02
21.52
100 Backstroke
51.82
48.94
47.60 (25th)
46.88 (18th)
46.31 (7th place)
200 Backstroke
1:50.69
1:45.23
1:43.92 (20th)
1:41.48 (19th)
1:43.94 (7th place)
200 IM
1:54.44
1:50.08
1:47.18 (40th)
1:43.96 (29th)
1:44.91 (17th place)
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2009-10 College Swimming Honors
Noteworthy The followings programs were nominated for at least one category California-Berkeley-Men California-Berkeley-Women Cincinnati University-Men Clarion University-Men Columbia University-Men Drury University-Men Emory University-Women Florida Gulf Coast-Women George Mason University-M&W Incarnate Word-Men Indiana University-Women Louisiana State University-Men Marist College-Women Middlebury College-M&W Ohio State University-Men Ohio State University-Women Penn State University-Men Ripon College-M&W Southern Methodist University-M Stanford University-Men Stanford University-Women Susquehanna University-M&W Texas A&M University-Men Texas Christian University-M&W Towson University-Women University of Alabama-M&W University of Arizona-M&W University of Florida-M&W University of Georgia-M&W University of Kansas-Women University of Louisville-M&W University of Mary Washington-W University of Michigan-Women University of North Carolina-Men University of South Carolina-M&W University Southern California-W University Southern California-M University of Tennessee-Men University of Tennessee-Women University of Texas-Men University of Texas-Women
University of Toledo-Women University of Virginia-Men University of Wyoming-M&W West Chester University-Women West Virginia University-Women Williams College-Women Wisconsin-Eau Claire-M&W Dedicated to the members of the following programs: Butler University, Men, 2007 California-Irvine, 2009 California-Los Angeles-Men, 1994 California-Northridge, 2010 Duquesne University-Men, 2010 James Madison Univ.-Men, 2007 Kutztown University-Men, 2009 Miami (swimming)-Men, 2000 Nebraska-Men, 2002 Ohio University-Men, 2007 Richmond-Men Rutgers University-Men, 2006 Slippery Rock University, 2006 University of Illinois-Men, 1993 University of Kansas-Men 2001 U. of Rhode Island-Men, 2008 U. of New Hampshire, Men, 2006 University of Toledo-Men, 2003 University of Vermont-Men University of Washington, 2009 Also dedicated to members of the following programs in their battle to preserve their program. California-Davis, M&W Clemson University, M&W NJIT, M&W Syracuse University, M&W Publications notes Within the sport of collegiate swimming & diving, people and teams continue to will themselves to a higher level through all of the tenets of overachievement and excellence. Each Page 29
season, many stories take place which may or may not be properly documented and recognized. The idea behind the college swimming and diving honors is to share the stories, to tell the story of the 2009-10 collegiate swimming and diving season. A few categories that were in the original nomination form were left out of this publication. There were two primary reasons for their exclusion; lack of additional nominations, and that the categories need to be better defined. For the upcoming season, the left-out categories will remain on the nomination form with the expectation that they will be published in future documents. If you nominated a person or team who did not appear in this publication, thank you for taking that time to do so. In 2010-11, a notification by email will be sent out to all collegiate head coaches in the fall announcing the nomination process. Visit the following site to learn more, www.collegeswimmingawards.com Special thank you to the following for their support and guidance. Naill Adler, Stanford University Tim Binning,TheSwimPictures.com Alex Dawson, Texas A&M University Blake Grimsley, University of Arizona Rich Herman, Clarion University Quinn Hunter, University of Wyoming Justin Kischefsky, Naval Academy Mark Leddy Naval Academy Jonathan Lee, Texas A&M University Walt Middleton Photography Kyle Niblett, University of Florida Dan Reisig, George Mason University
PROFILES IN EXCELLENCE: 2009-10 College Swimming & Diving Stories