Case Western Reserve University has chosen a
member of the NCAA Coaching Staff of the Year for three out
of the last four years as its new head men's and women's swimming
and diving coach.
Christopher
Conlon
|
That person is Christopher Conlon, who has spent the past five
seasons as an assistant coach at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, Md. The John's Hopkins'
men's swimming and diving team has finished second in the nation
the past two seasons, while the women have placed in the top
10.
"Chris brings a wealth of experience to
us from an outstanding program at Johns Hopkins," said
Case Interim Athletic Director Kristin Hughes. "We are
excited
to get him on board, so he can continue the success Coach (Todd)
Clark has created here at Case."
Conlon, 32, brings his
13 years of coaching experience-in addition to 12 years of
competitive swimming experience-to University Circle beginning
this month. He replaces Clark, who built Case's program
into a national contender during his 14 years at the University.
"I have been working for several years to
move into a collegiate head coaching position," Conlon
said. "I'm really
excited about the opportunity to expand some of the ideas that
have been successful during my time at Hopkins and use them
to help grow the program at Case."
During Clark's tenure,
the Case men's swimming and diving team finished as high as
13th in the country, and the women as high
as a seventh. Case also had 46 All-Americans in 75 events,
including two national champions.
"Both the men's and women's team at Case
are coming off excellent seasons, and the kids are really excited
about their success," Conlon said. "They
are also excited for even more success, and so am I."
Conlon received
his bachelor's degree in natural sciences from Johns Hopkins in 1993 and
a master's degree in teaching in 1996.
He is certified by the
American Swim Coaches Association (Level 3 - USS, Age Group
and NCAA III) and the Red Cross (Swim Coach Safety Training,
First
Aid,
Adult CPR, Lifeguarding and Certified Pool Operators License).
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to the online edition of the 9-18-03 Campus News.
