Miami Swimming and Diving Enters New Era
Oct. 8, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (hurricanesport.com) – The University of Miami Swimming and Diving program will enter a new season with a number of new faces, including first year Head Swimming Coach Mariusz Podkoscielny.
Podkoscielny comes to Miami via Oregon State, where he spent the past seven seasons at the helm of the OSU women’s swim team. During his tenure with the Beavers, 107 swimmers set new school records and his teams went a combined 40-38 overall in the highly competitive PAC-10 Conference. For the last three seasons, each of his teams at OSU has gone to the NCAA Championships.
First-year assistant coach Kathleen O’Dell will also be a newcomer to the women’s swimming program. O’Dell comes to Miami after serving two years as the head assistant coach for the men and women’s swimming and diving teams at Bucknell University.
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“We really don’t want single out any individuals this season. We are going to have to wait for someone to step up.” Head Swim Coach Mariusz Podkscielny |
The UM swim team will look to improve on an third place BIG EAST and 29th place NCAA finish last season, and will have to fill the void left by the departure of 2002-03 All-American selection Katie Beth Bryant.
“We have just completed six weeks of training and our swimmers are getting adjusted to the new terminology and new coaching staff,” Coach Podkoscielny said. “I really think we are starting to come around.”
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The Norman Whitten Pool |
“We have a very exciting group of upperclassmen returning,” Coach Podkoscielny said. “Combined with a very solid incoming class, who should be able to make an immediate impact.”
The women’s swim team will feature three BIG EAST qualifiers, including senior Manon van Rooijen (Westdorpe, Holland), who won the BIG EAST Championship in the 100-yard freestyle and set a BIG EAST Championship record in the 200-yard freestyle for the second consecutive season in 2002-03.
Podkoscielny brings ten freshmen in for his inaugural season and will look to the underclassmen for immediate results.
“We really don’t want single out any individuals this season,” Coach Podkoscielny said. “We are going to have to wait for someone to step up.”
Randy Ableman enters his 15th season as the coach of the Hurricane diving team. Ableman, one of the nation’s top diving authorities, has molded Miami diving into national prestige year in and year out and named the BIG EAST Diving Coach of the Year in 2003. The selection marked the second consecutive year Ableman received the honor and the third time overall. Ableman is a nine-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year and held the title for six consecutive seasons from 1995 to 2000.
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Head Diving Coach Randy Ableman enters his 15th season at Miami |
The 2003-04 edition of the Miami diving program is composed of two All-Americans in junior Miguel Velazquez (Mexico City, Mexico) and senior Emily Spychala (Miami, Fla.), along with three newcomers.
Last season, Velazquez was selected as the BIG EAST’s Most Outstanding Swimmer and finished fourth in the 3-meter at the NCAA Diving Championships, earning All-American honors for the second straight season.
Spychala returns after finishing 14th at the NCAA’s in 2002-03 in the 1-meter. She earned All-American honors in 2000 in the 1-meter springboard and the 3-meter springboard.
The Hurricanes first test of the new season will come on Friday, Oct. 10, traveling to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on in-state rivals Florida State and Florida A&M.
