Swim Collegiate Series Podcast

Katie's Wildcats are members of the Big 10 conference. Katie was a star at the University of Texas. She was an 11 - time All-American. She earned a spot at the NCAA Championships every year as a Longhorn and helped Texas to four Top - 10 finishes. Katie's coaching experience, before Northwestern, includes head coach at Tulane and assistant coach at Rutgers and Virginia. Katie talks about her keys to success swimming at a high collegiate level. She also discusses what Northwestern looks for in a potential recruit. 

Brent MacDonald is the head swim coach at Xavier University located in Cincinnati, OH. Xavier is a member of the Big East Conference. Brent was a four year swimmer and record holder while at Valparaiso University. Brent also was a club coach for the Cincinnati Marlins and Noblesville High School in Indiana. Brent talks about his coaching experience and provides some great insight on the importance of good underwater skills.

Allyson is the new head swim coach at Georgia Southern University. She spent 3 seasons as an assistant at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where she specialized in the Tar Heel distance groups. Allyson was also an assistant coach at Auburn and Florida Southern. Allyson swam in college at Texas A&M University. She was a member of two Big 12 championship teams. Allyson talks about her tips on becoming a faster free style sprinter, strength and conditioning training for young swimmers, and what she looks for in a potential recruit. Allyson also discusses the ups and downs of a long swim season and how you can work through the down times.

Dave is in his 6th season as head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University and has led FGCU to multiple CCSA championships! Dave has coaching experience at the club, high school, and Collegiate levels. Dave was a standout Collegiate swimmer and was a nine time NCAA All American and National Champion as a member of the University of Arizona. He was introduced into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. Dave was a two time Olympic Trials qualifier and a USA Swimming National Championship finalist. Dave set 4 school records and became the fastest American breaststroker in history - a record that stood for six years! 

Coach Alexander Taylor is the head swim coach at Misericordia University. They are  a DIII school located in Dallas, PA. Zander is in his 4th season. Prior to Misericordia Zander spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Mt. St. Mary's University. Zander was a four-year letterman at SUNY-Potsdam where he served as a two-year team captain and set seven school records.  He was a four-time SUNYAC champion and was the 2012 SUNYAC Most Outstanding Swimmer. Zander describes what a typical practice week looks like for the swimmers in his program. He also discusses his thoughts on the Swim Collegiate Series and how it benefits his recruiting efforts!

Three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year David Sheets enters his 22nd season at the helm of the Duquesne women's swimming program in 2022-23. Over his collegiate career, he led Clarion to the 1992 PSAC championship and second-place showings in 1990, 91 and 93. Additionally, Clarion's men's program finished second at the NCAA Division II meet in 1992, third in 1991 and was in the top 10 each of his other two seasons. A school rich in tradition, Clarion has posted 16 PSAC swimming titles since the 1979 campaign. He was inducted into the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. He is still an active member of master's swimming, where he was a National Long Course Champion in the 100 and 200 back in 1999. 

Cameron Kainer has been named the first year head coach of the all new swimming & diving program at the University of Southern Indiana! The Screaming Eagles will be competing as a  Division I program. Cameron talks about his previous coaching experience at multiple DII schools as well as his club coaching experience at Nitro swimming! Cameron talks about what club swimmers can expect from making the jump to the collegiate level. As well as his personal experience as a swimmer at UT Permian Basin in Texas! 

In this episode Monmouth College swim coach Jake Dacus talks about his swimming career at Pacific Lutheran. He was a standout in the 100 and 200 meter fly. He was also a coach at Pacific Lutheran where he had numerous Academic All-Americans. Dacus, a Renton, Washington native started his coaching career in 2016 at DIII St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania. Dacus also talks about his club level coaching experience with the Valley Aquatics Team in Washington. Giving us insight into what it takes for young swimmers to get prepared for swimming at the Collegiate level!

Pfeiffer University is a Division III school located near Charlotte, NC. Meredith is in her second season as head coach. Meredith graduated from Georgia Southern where she was a standout swimmer. She competed in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke, the 400 IM, and the 400 medley. In September of 2013 Meredith became the first female to swim the Auau Channel. This was an open water swim and did so in a world-record time of 11 hours and one minute. Meredith talks about the importance of concentration while swimming. If you're a distance swimmer this is the episode for you!

The "Salukis" compete in the DI Missouri Valley Conference. Geoff has 20 years of collegiate coaching experience. Geoff talks about being a personal coach of Carly Piper who won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and Alyssa Anderson who won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. Geoff swam collegiately at Arizona earning All American honorable mention accolades and All American PAC 10 honors. Geoff also touches on the importance of a swimmers underwaters and how it will pay off for those looking to swim at the collegiate level!