SMU head feminine swimming coach Steve Collins He introduced his retirement on Monday after main this system for 37 years.
Collins was named NCAA Coach of the 12 months twice in his 37 seasons and received convention coach of the 12 months 11 occasions. He took the Mustangs to 17 convention championships and 35 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships. Throughout his tenure, SMU completed in 15 high 10 finishes on the NCAA Championships, 9 of which had been within the high 5.
SMU noticed its biggest success within the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s when groups led by 10-time particular person NCAA Champions. Martina MoravcovaThird-most and five-time particular person NCAA Champion in NCAA historical past Flavia Rigamonti, amongst others, had Mustangs that frequently completed within the high 5. The Mustangs have been within the high 5 on the NCAA Championships 9 occasions below Collins, together with peaking 2nd within the 1996 championship.
The Mustangs haven’t scored within the NCAAs for the reason that 2016 championship. The Mustangs completed third out of 9 groups within the final AAC Championship match. freshman Lucrezia Napoletano He was named AAC Most Excellent Swimmer after successful 50 free (22.70), 100 free (48.61) and 200 free (1:46.19) from Italy.
“SMU Swimming and Diving owes lots to Steve Collins,” stated Rick Hart, Director of Athletics. “Right here at Hilltop, he established a championship custom and tradition and formed the lives of a whole lot of student-athletes. The Robson & Lindley Aquatics Heart and Barr-McMillion Natatorium and Holt Hickman Outside Pool would exist with out Steve’s onerous work and love of SMU Swimming and Diving. We’re very grateful to him for his contributions and want him the perfect.”
Whereas SMU has but to appoint a reserve candidate, the boys’s staff is led by Greg Rhodenbaugh, who has expertise as the pinnacle coach of a mixed program on the College of Missouri.
Beneath Collins, 59 individuals have received 239 All-America awards and 98 relay races have been honored. Particular person convention championships totaled 373, with 32 athletes competing in 9 totally different Olympics. Collins guided 11 scholar athletes to the convention swimmer of the 12 months awards, together with three-time US Convention choice Therese Svendsen, three-time WAC choice Martina Moravcova, and two-time WAC choice Georgina Lee. Final, Lucrezia Napoletano He earned honors on the American Athletic Convention in 2023. Erin Trahan was honored in The American in 2019, following Matea Samardzic’s back-to-back awards in 2017 and 2018.
Collins took the Mustangs to 2 AAC championships, 9 WAC championships and 6 C-USA championships for a complete of 17 tag staff championships. He additionally led the Mustangs to their highest end ever in 1996 when SMU completed second within the nation on the NCAA Championship and earned Collins his second NCAA Nationwide Coach of the 12 months award. He was additionally named NCAA Coach of the 12 months in 1991. Collins was named SWC Coach of the 12 months in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1996, WAC Coach of the 12 months in 1997 and 1998, and C-USA Coach of the 12 months in 2007 and 2008. and American Coach of the 12 months in 2012 and most not too long ago in 2015 and 2016.
In 2021, Collins was named the School Swimming and Diving Coaches Affiliation’s (CSCAA) High 100 School Swimming and Diving Coaches of the final 100 years.
An internationally profitable coach, Collins was appointed to the Bulgarian squad for the 2016 and 2012 Olympics and was the pinnacle coach of the Slovakian Olympic Workforce within the 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 summer time video games. Collins’ swimmers at SMU have received medals on the Olympic Video games, World Championships, World College Video games, European, Pan American Video games, Mediterranean and African Championships. Since his arrival at Hilltop in 1986, Collins is the 1997 NCAA Swimmer of the 12 months and has received two silver medals on the 2000 Olympic Video games held in Sydney, Australia, in addition to the 1992, 1996, 2004 and 2008 summer time video games.
Previous to coming to Hilltop, Collins served seven years as head coach of the South Carolina swimming program, main the Gamecocks to 2 MCAC Championships and 6 high 20 NCAA finishes in seven years. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Collins attended Eastmoor Excessive College in Columbus, Ohio. Collins and his spouse, Toni, an SMU alumnus and CPA, are the proud dad and mom of dual daughters Kate and Hanna, who attend SMU and function program administrators. A 1977 Florida State graduate, Collins swam freestyle and backstroke for the Seminoles and captained the Florida State staff in his senior 12 months.
Parts of this report are taken from a press launch by SMU Athletics.
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