TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

After picking up your 63rd career coaching victory this past Friday in your team's win over Bowling Green, you are just one win away from becoming UB's all-time winningest women's swimming coach. What would reaching that plateau mean to you?
It would be an honor and a great accomplishment for all of the swimmers and divers who have participated in this program with me during the past 12 years. Emily Ward - a former UB coach - was a fantastic motivator and coach for this program and it has been fun to keep her legacy rolling by remaining competitive in every conference we have traveled through during my career here at UB.

It is a significant honor, however swimming coaches do not focus on the dual meet record due to the nature of the physiology of our sport. We train extremely hard for six months, and all of our focus is on the conference championships. This is a particularly intense year for us because we have not rested for any big meet as we usually do in December.

I want to congratulate all the swimmers and divers that have competed at UB during my stay here, because this is really a tribute to all of them.

This past weekend, your team finished first in a five-team field at the UB Invitational, which was held at the Alumni Arena Natatorium. What type of an event did that serve as for your team?
The UB Invitational gave us an opportunity to swim and dive in a championship meet format. It is a great meet for our swimmers who did not make the conference team, because they can compete in their home pool for the final meet of the season (due to conference team limitations on squad size). It provides the conference team members a chance to refine their races and swim their off-events.

When do you put together the majority of your team's schedule and how does that entire process work?
The Mid-American Conference puts together our conference dual meet schedule. I schedule the non-conference meets during the spring of the previous year.

The MAC Championships will be taking place at the end of February. What type of expectations do you have for your team at that event?
We are very excited about the MAC Championships - as we are any other year. It has been fun in particular this season, because this has been the most competitive team we have ever had in the history of the program. I expect to see a very competitive meet from top to bottom, which makes for a great overall meet. We also expect to see a lot of school and MAC records fall.

What types of challenges do you face coaching a relatively young team that has only three seniors on it?
We have created strong leadership historically, no matter how small the senior class is - this year has been no exception. Abby Delia, Jolie Pun, and Heather Rochette have set a high standard of excellence this year - both in the classroom and in the pool. There is a tremendous amount of respect that is cultivated from season-to-season and the freshmen are expected to understand that the program is one that demands a high level of commitment.

There are nine Canadians and one swimmer from France on your roster. How did you come about recruiting with such an international focus?
Canada is a strong swimming nation and I love bringing in student-athletes with different perspectives regionally and internationally. It gives all of the members on our team a broader perspective while they are earning a second education by being part of a collegiate team.

Eugenie Viale - who is from Le Lavandou, France - contacted us because of UB's strong academic programs, as well as its Division I athletics. She came on an official visit and loved the team and we loved her, so she enrolled with us.

Where did you get your start in coaching? When did you realize that it was something that you wanted to do?
I knew I wanted to be a coach from a very young age. I was a multi-sport athlete and the only question left was what sport to coach. I decided on swimming when I entered Ithaca College because I would not have to rely on other team members to build my resume for a coaching career.

I was a junior at Ithaca when I received my first coaching opportunity - it was during the summers at the Ithaca YMCA. From there, I went on to coach swimming and soccer at Wells College. I then went to Boston University, where I coached and earned a Master's degree. From 1991 to 1992, I was an assistant coach at Northern Michigan. I then came to Buffalo as the head coach.

Do you feel that there have been any major changes in the sport since your time as a collegiate swimmer at Ithaca in the 80s?
Yes, extremely significant changes have occurred. Training has evolved into a much more intense and efficient way of working the five physiological energy systems involved with our sport. Dry land training has also been a critical shift that has taught us to focus on stretching and core body strength, as opposed to conventional weight training.

The technology has also changed drastically involving the actual suits we wear. Back in my day, Lycra was the hot new item in competitive swimming. Now, we have the advancement of technology that has provided us with the fastest suits on the planet, which are called "Fast Skins."

There has also been a shift in generational characteristics, which have changed at a rapid rate. Coaches are required to be constantly vigilant to continued education so that we are one step ahead or at least on the same page as the athletes and where they are coming from. It is an incredibly exciting time to be a coach.

Your teams have averaged a 3.39 grade point average over the last nine semesters. How have you been able to effectively stress the importance of doing well in the classroom to your student-athletes?
Our team has been outstanding when it comes to the classroom. Our team leaders instill the value of a great education and the importance of the GPA when applying to graduate school. They also teach the newcomers that there is a direct correlation between doing well in the classroom and having success in the pool. I also attribute this success to our commitment when recruiting prospective student-athletes, because we make it perfectly clear what is expected from them if they choose UB.

This past summer, you and some of your swimmers participated in Carly's Crossing - a 26-mile swim to benefit Carly's Club for Kids and Cancer Research. How did you come about participating in that event and what other community events has your team supported?
Joey Ziewerchowski - a former club swimming coach - and I are great friends. He and his wife Cathy approached me about our team being involved in the event. It was an extraordinary experience for our team and we plan on participating in Carly's Crossing during future summers.

The team has also been involved with the Special Olympics' organization each spring. They also participated in the Kiss 98.5 Christmas Toy Drive, as well as the National Girls and Women in Sports Day Community Outreach Program, which is organized by Kelly Cruttenden.

The people in this program have always been doers and they enjoy the lessons learned from being involved and active in the community. If anyone has any other opportunities we could be involved in with the community, please feel free contact us.

-The "10 Questions with…" feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.