NEWS

Team Alumni Weekend: Registration Closing Tomorrow!

Hello fellow swimming and diving alumni! The season is off at a blistering pace in Durham this Fall. Earlier this month, the team opened the season against ACC-newcomer Pitt. Even though the meet resulted in a split, both the men and women started off the season on a strong note.  

“We’re extremely proud of the way the teams performed today . . . We knew that it would be a close competition, and they did what they needed to do.”
— Coach Dan

As you may know, the team has put together a special line-up of events for the reunion weekend on October 24-26. Along with Friday dinner and ongoing social events, registrants will also be given two tickets to the sold-out Countdown to Craziness event in Cameron Indoor on Saturday Evening. 

Additionally, the team could really use our support for back-to-back dual meets that weekend, facing local rival UNCW on Saturday and ACC foe Virginia Tech on Sunday. 

Registration closes tomorrow, so be sure to sign up if you plan to attend.  If you miss the registration window or are only able to attend a portion of the events, please let us know. We would be happy to help coordinate lodging or transportation around campus for the weekend.

A view of the renovated locker rooms.

A view of the renovated locker rooms.

Whenever you are in town, please drop by to check out the the recent team locker room renovations to witness the tangible results from your generous donations! For those unable to make the trip in person, the team has put together a virtual tour.

Hope to see everyone next weekend—Go Duke!

Duke Funds Women’s Swimming and Diving

Duke announced it is fully funding Women’s Swimming and Diving!

This will bring the total scholarships to 14, the NCAA limit, from the current 2. This level of support is unprecedented, and will be phased in over several years.  Olympic champion and Duke alum Nancy Hogshead was instrumental in providing a voice for Duke Swimming and Diving.

FROM SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE
DURHAM, North Carolina, December 16. In a move to strengthen its women's programs, Duke University has increased funding to women's swimming and diving, along with fencing, rowing and track and field, to provide each program with a full scholarship load as allowed by the NCAA. Additionally, Duke added softball to its sports offerings.

"Duke University is fully committed to providing the most complete educational and athletic opportunities for women," Athletics Director Dr. Kevin White said. "Adding both softball and new scholarships will enhance and enrich the collective experiences for female student-athletes. Specifically, softball will be a great addition to our varsity programs because it is played at the highest level in the Atlantic Coast Conference.”

The women’s swimming and diving program will see its number of available scholarships increase from its current two to 14, the maximum limit allowed by the NCAA.

“This is very exciting news and the possibilities are endless,” said men’s and women’s head coach Dan Colella.  “The support from the athletic department will enable us to be a team that in coming years will contend for conference titles and compete at a high level nationally.  We’re very thankful for the support of Dr. White and the administration."

Under the direction of Colella, who is in his ninth season at the helm of the men’s and women’s programs, Duke has produced four individual NCAA titles, 19 All-America selections, 18 individual ACC titles, 35 All-ACC selections, two Olympic medalists and two Academic All-Americans.  The Blue Devil men have finished as high as 17th at the NCAA Championships and fifth at the ACC Championships under the watch of Colella and his staff, while the Duke women have finished as high as 19th at NCAAs and sixth in the conference.

Lobby Construction Finale

Construction crews are wrapping up finishing touches on the Lobby Renovation Project.  We are excited to share the near-final results!  

The coaching staff tells us that the final photographs were added prior to the first recruiting weekend of this school year.  We are proud to have an improved entrance to greet recruits, fans, and visiting teams.  Thanks again to all those who have helped donate! 

Lobby Renovation Progress Update

Construction is underway on the Lobby Update Project at the Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion.   With the incoming freshmen arriving on campus in the next few weeks, a fresh coat of paint has just been laid down in the lobby area and the stairwell down to the pool deck.  We are impressed with the results so far and are excited to share some photographs of the progress!  Thanks again to those who made the project possible, along with all the contributions to the Duke Swimming & Diving Varsity Club.  

Check back as we will continue providing updates as construction progresses. 

Q&A with New Diving Coach Nunzio Esposto

Coach Esposto

Coach Esposto

Earlier this summer Duke Swimming and Diving scored a perfect 10 when Nunzio Esposto agreed to become the new Diving Coach.  Coach Esposto's hiring follows a national search which ironically was filled close to home.  He is an excellent choice for Duke, with extensive experience as both a competitor and coach.  Coach Esposto previously competed for and coached the diving program at rival UNC Chapel Hill.  He also later served as Head Coach of the Blue Devil Diving club program from 2003 to 2007, notably coaching current Duke diver and 2012 Olympic medalist Nick McCrory.  Coach Esposto should have an immediate positive impact on Duke's veteran divers as well as incoming freshmen.

Recently, alumnus Paul Zarian (Swimming '10) had the chance to ask Coach Esposto some questions about his plans for the upcoming season and vision for the program.  Check out the dialogue below.

Paul Zarian: What was the story behind you getting the Duke Diving position?
Nunzio Esposto: I wanted to get back into full time coaching and also wanted to stay in North Carolina.

PZ: Why did you decide to return to coaching?
NE: I missed coaching full time.

PZ: What are you most excited about in the upcoming season?
NE: I’m excited to work with all the student athletes and help them accomplish their goals this year.

PZ: Is it fun to be coaching Nick McCrory again?
NE: Absolutely, he’s got a great attitude and we have an established relationship.

PZ: How has the sport changed since you were an athlete?
NE: The men and the women are doing much more complicated and higher DD (degree of difficulty) dives both on springboard and platform.

PZ: Do you have a certain coaching style or technique that you subscribe to?
NE: Very much an interactive coaching style for water and dryland with extensive video training.

PZ: How do you see this new position affecting your involvement with USA Diving?
NE: I will also be coaching a (local) club team called Duke Diving.

PZ: What is the most important piece of advice you give to your athletes?
NE: Hard work and perseverance will definitely help you accomplish both short term and long term goals.

Lobby Renovations to Commence this Summer!

Thanks to generous alumni donations last school year, work has begun on renovations to the lobby entrance of the Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion.  The lobby provides a critical first impression of the aquatics facilities to recruits, visiting opponents, and spectators, and is a reflection of the team overall.

With these improvements, we expect to make a strong positive imprint on those visiting Duke's swimming and diving facilities. 

The current state of the lobby.

Importantly, the changes are not just cosmetic.   The lobby renovations will also showcase Duke Swimming & Diving's history and honors, a goal that has been discussed for many years.

The team's Olympians, National Champions, Conference Champions, and All-Americans will be recognized, along with historical highlights of the team since its inaugural 1926 season, and an appreciation of the team's supporters.

Most construction will occur in August, with a targeted completion date of early September.  
The design gallery below gives an idea of what the William & Mary teams will see upon arrival for our home opener this year.  Check out the upgrades in person during a home meet this season!

Please continue to check back as we provide construction updates in the coming weeks.   
Again, many thanks to the alumni that made this project possible!

 

Update (August 8, 2013): Check out the construction photos in our progress update!

Duke Swimming and Diving Alumni Rock Masters Nationals

Although there are many Blue Devils back in the pool swimming Masters, to our knowledge, only two participated in this year's Masters Nationals held at the Indianapolis Aquatic Center on the weekend of May 9.  Dan Buerger ('89) and Kristin Gary ('89), although now on different teams, were happy to see each other back on deck.  Kristin came away from the weekend with ample hardware, becoming a four-time national champion!  Dan placed quite well also.  Here are their complete results:

mastersnationals.jpg

Dan: 
100 Free - 52.87 (24th)
200 Free - 1:55.04 (8th)
500 Free - 5:16.00 (7th)
1000 Free - 10:58.01 (7th)
50 Fly - 27.72 (25th)

Kristin:
100 Free - 55.99 (3rd)
200 Free - 2:00.2 (1st)
50 Back - 28.37 (1st)
100 Back - 59.5 (1st)
200 Back - 2:09.65 (1st)
100 Fly - 1:00.85 (2nd)

PanAmericanDivingLogo.jpg

In addition to Kristin and Dan, Duke diving alum Lori Hillman ('82) had an excellent meet at the Pan American Masters Diving Championship held in Largo, Florida on June 8 and 9.  

Lori won 2 gold medals (Women's Platform & Synchro Platform), 2 silvers (1 meter and 3 meter Synchro) and a bronze in 3 meter.  Congrats to Lori!

If you are involved in Masters swimming or diving, we'd love to hear about your accomplishments.  You can reach us at dukeswimdivealumni@gmail.com.