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Men's Swimming & Diving
vs Alumni Meet
Utah Men's And Women's Swimming And Diving Release
11/30/2000 12:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
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Michael Litzinger
Head Coach
1st Season
Hobart College `84
Michael Litzinger begins his tenure as head coach for the Utah swimming and diving program this season. He brings with him nine years of head coaching experience and six years of experience with Top 20 NCAA Division I programs. During those 15 years, Litzinger has coached four Olympians, six world-ranked swimmers, 14 All-Americans and 49 conference champions.
He joins the U. from Ohio State University, where he was the assistant men's coach for the past three years. During the 2000 season, Litzinger helped coach the Buckeyes to a 25th-place finish in national competition, which followed the team's 20th-place finish in 1998.
From 1989-98, Litzinger was the head coach at St. Bonaventure University, where he worked with the women's program. He lead the NCAA Division I team to an Eastern Intercollegiate Conference title and two Atlantic 10 Conference championships. During his time at St. Bonaventure University, Litzinger was awarded Intercollegiate Coach of the Year in 1992 and `94, and Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 1996 and `98.
Prior to accepting the position at St. Bonaventure, Litzinger was the head coach at Fredonia State University in New York from 1988-89. At Fredonia State, he worked with the NCAA Division III men's program.
Litzinger graduated from Hobart College in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in English. He was the captain of the Hobart swimming team in 1983-84 and was voted Most Valuable Swimmer that same year. Four years later, in 1988, he received his master's in exercise science from the University of Iowa. While he was working on his master's degree, Litzinger was the Hawkeyes' graduate assistant men's coach.
The 38-year-old native New Yorker is very excited about the experiences to come at the University of Utah and looks to make the Utes a swimming power in the Mountain West Conference.
Darin Mai
Assistant Men's Coach
1st Season
UC Davis `96
Darin Mai is the new assistant men's swimming coach at Utah. He spent the past two years as the men's assistant coach at the University of Texas, which is the reigning NCAA National Champions. At Texas, Mai was also in charge of dryland and weight training programs. Prior to his experience at Texas, Mai was the assistant coach at UC Davis and assistant swimming and water polo coach at Sacramento City College. He was also an assistant coach at Texas Aquatics, which sent seven athletes to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
As a swimmer at UC Davis, Mai was the Swimmer of the Year for the 1994-95 season and team captain in 1995-96. He graduated from Texas in 2000 with a master's of education degree in kinesiology. He was selected to be a member of the Kappa Delta Phi Honor Society for excellence in academics while at UT. Mai is originally from Piedmont, Calif.
Beth Jerome
Assistant Women's Coach
1st Season
Missouri `98
Beth Jerome is in her first year as the assistant women's swimming coach. She joins the Utah staff from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she was the assistant coach for 1999-2000. During her time at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jerome worked with a five-time Division III All-American. She also trained a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier at J-Hawk Aquatics in Whitewater, Wis.
Besides her coaching abilities, the Janesville, Wis., native excelled in collegiate swimming at the University of Missouri. Jerome was a member of the all-Big Eight Conference academic team in 1996 and made the Dean's List when she graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's of science degree in nutrition and fitness.
Carrie Ziebarth
Diving Coach
1st Season
Ohio State `00
Carrie Ziebarth is the new men's and women's diving coach. She joins the U. from Ohio State University, where she recently finished an amazing diving career. From 1996-97, Ziebarth was the Big Ten Conference platform champion, not to mention a three-meter and platform All-American. During the 1997-98 season, she once again was an NCAA All-American. To round out her career, Ziebarth was the 2000 one-meter Big Ten champion.
Ziebarth also possesses an extensive coaching background. She is a certified U.S. diving coach and instructed at the Scioto Country Club for three years. In 1999, she assisted at Ohio State, along with coaching at the King County Aquatic Center and Barrington Elementary School.
Originally from Auburn, Wash., Ziebarth has earned a teaching certificate in exercise and sport science. With her experience and accomplishments, Ziebarth will do excellent things for the Utah diving program.
It is a new season for Utah women's swimming and diving. There are new coaches, a new attitude and a new focus. Coming off a season in which the women broke eight school records and took fifth place at the inaugural meet of the Mountain West Conference, there is both optimism and plenty of room for improvement. With experienced upperclassmen, strong recruits and new leadership, it looks like up is the direction the Ute women are headed.
The Utes will be looking to the six returning seniors to play key roles this year. Leading the way are senior captains Heidi Hausknecht, Erin Blundell and Jamie Wayman. Hausknecht is a returning All-American, the first in school history. She spent the summer of 2000 training for the U.S. Olympic Trials, in which she competed in the 100 butterfly. At the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships, she took top honors in the 50 free and 100 butterfly. Hausknecht was also the only Ute to compete at the NCAA Championships last year.
"We are looking to Heidi for not only her leadership this year, but her experience in big meet situations to carry our team further than before," says head coach Michael Litzinger.
Blundell is coming off an amazing season with a third-place finish in the 200 free at the Mountain West Conference Championships. Wayman also made a statement at the conference meet, making the finals in the 200 IM and 400 IM. Melissa Walker is the remaining senior swimmer. She set the Utah record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:35.92.
Seniors Jill Comins and Erica Fleming are the only divers on this year's team. They were both honored as Mountain West Conference academic honorees and have the capacity to compete at a conference level.
"Jill Comins and Erica Fleming have experience on their side, having been in the league for four years. Both divers are doing well, and with their continued improvement they will have a large impact on the Mountain West Conference," explains diving coach Carrie Ziebarth.
The senior class will be the backbone of the team, guiding the rest with their experience and confidence. Utah's middleclassmen consist of five juniors and three sophomores. They will be expected to use not only their familiarity with the sport, but determination to help the team excel. This group will also provide a solid base for the future of the program.
This year's newcomers should make an immediate impact. Kristen Kaiser was a U.S. Junior National finalist, Neringa Statkeviciute was the Lithuanian national champion in the 50 freestyle and Gretta Roth was an Idaho state finalist in the 100 breast. They are joined by Lori Fowler and Lacey Garrett. Litzinger is encouraged by the potential of his freshman class.
"On the women's side, the Mountain West shapes up to be a great meet. Each team has their `go to' swimmer, but I firmly believe that relays play a part in the outcome of a championship meet. The team that can put together great relays has an opportunity to do some special things at the end of the season," states Litzinger.
The Utes will have their work cut out for them in the Mountain West Conference, where they will face Brigham Young. The Cougars are the reigning conference champions and sent two women to the NCAA Championships in 2000. UNLV is also going to be a force to reckoned with. The Rebels will be looking to improve on their second-place finish in the Mountain West Conference last year.
"To be successful, our women's team will have to develop versatility," explains Litzinger. "That will come through hard training and focusing on team goals for the end of the season."
The Utah men's swimming and diving team is entering a new era, and it is time to focus on what is to come with new coaches and a new attitude. The Utes captured a fifth-place finish at the inaugural Mountain West Conference Championships in 2000 and can build on a proud history of 22 league titles. Head coach Michael Litzinger is looking to improve on the team's performance not only collectively, but as individuals.
Leading the team will be this year's captains, Joe Linford and Brandon Durrant. Linford is in his senior year at the U. At the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships, Linford was a conference finalist in the 100 butterfly, the 200 butterfly and 200 IM. Durrant is a junior at the U. and is one of the team's top sprinters. He was honored as a Mountain West All-Academic team member and was a conference finalist in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free at the 2000 championships.
Joining the captains are senior divers Michael Romig and James Thompson. The duo makes up the backbone of the diving team and will be expected to use their talent and maturity to provide leadership. They will be joined by junior Trent Brown and freshman Sterling Richards.
"Our men's diving team shapes up to be strong this year. Each diver provides a crucial component to our squad, creating a well-rounded team with experience, talent and dedication," boasts diving coach Carrie Ziebarth.
Enhancing the strength of the team is the return of sophomore David Fleisch. Fleisch took eighth place in the 400 IM, ninth in the 200 IM and 13th in the 200 backstroke at the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships. "David's work ethic and versatility in swimming multiple events will set the standard for the men's team this season and in the future," says Litzinger.
Fleisch will be joined by fellow sophomores John-Mikael Carlile, Curt Johnson and Konrad Thiel. Together, they create a solid base for the years to come.
The team also features nine freshmen, but it is a well-seasoned group that should be able to contribute. Leading the class will be Brendon Bray, a U.S. Junior National level backstroker. Keric Allen, Tom Allen and Richards are all state champions. The freshmen will help create a well-rounded team that can take the Utes to a new level in the Mountain West Conference and nationally.
The Mountain West Conference will not be without ready challengers. BYU is poised to defend it's first-place finish at the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships. UNLV is coming off of a second-place finish at the conference meet and a 25th place performance at the NCAA Championships, which is an all-time best for the Rebels.
"Our men's team will have to work for everything that we get this year," explains Litzinger. "But, with the way that we have been working as a team, we will be able to accomplish more than we hoped for."
The University of Utah, hub for higher education from the Rockies to the Sierras, boasts an academic reputation that is rivaled only by its breathtakingly gorgeous location. To the east, the towering Wasatch Mountains are snow-capped billboards for a series of popular ski resorts. To the west, the Great Salt Lake shimmers in the shadow of the Oquirrh Mountains. The campus, itself, is a beautiful 1,500-acre collage of native and exotic trees, fountains, flowering malls and pedestrian walkways, nestled between the Wasatch Range and bustling downtown Salt Lake City.
Utah students enjoy unparalleled outdoor diversions, from skiing at any of eight world-class resorts in nearby canyons, to backpacking, bicycling, fly fishing and river running. Already a lively community, the U. will become even more close knit this fall when a multi-purpose student housing complex opens in historic Fort Douglas, located on the eastern edge of campus. The complex, which will be completed by the fall of 2000 will consist of apartments, suites and private rooms and a Village Center. It will serve as the Athletes Village for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, hosted by Salt Lake City.
The U.'s location in the largest city in the Intermountain West (population 1,475,000) also provides a metropolitan charm: Salt Lake is home to professional symphony, ballet, modern dance, opera and theater companies, as well as the NBA Utah Jazz, WNBA Utah Starzz, Triple A baseball's Salt Lake Buzz and the International Hockey League's Utah Grizzlies.
Utah's "economic engine," the University of Utah generates nearly $500 million annually in non-tax revenue and is one of the state's largest employers. It has the only medical, social work, architecture and pharmacy schools in a multi-state area. The U.'s many top-flight facilities include a center for dance, a health sciences center, public radio and television stations, three libraries and numerous centers and laboratories devoted to research. Ninety-five percent of Utah's faculty members hold the highest terminal degree in their fields.
The University, which offers more than 120 undergraduate degree programs and 89 graduate majors, draws its 25,000-plus student population from all 50 states and 109 foreign countries. Founded in 1850, the U. has established itself as an international center for medical and engineering research. It manages one of the three most successful technology parks in the U.S., with more than 40 new high-tech companies created by University faculty. The Huntsman Cancer Center and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute make Utah the primary research company in the nation for understanding the genetic basis of cancer. Utah is ranked in the top 35 (of 550) research universities in the most recent National Science Foundation rankings. The University frequently ranks first in the nation in number of inventions per million dollars expended for research. Inventions include a wearable kidney, robotic technology and the Utah artificial arm.
Utah is also a hub in the computer world. The Center for High Performance Computing links the U. to major aerospace industries, high-tech manufacturers and research companies. The Department of Computer Science is ranked in the top 20 computer science research departments in the nation. The U. was named one of five finalists in the science category of the 1998 Computerworld Smithsonian Awards. Back in 1970, the U. became the fourth node on the Internet.
The U. provides a lot of fun, too. Over a million people enjoy the University of Utah's athletic, entertainment and cultural offerings each year. And Utah has earned a reputation as a site of championships in the athletic arena-serving as host to a number of national tournaments, including the 1979 NCAA Basketball Final Four, eight National Women's Gymnastics Championships, and a pair National Women's Tennis and NCAA Ski Championships. The NCAA Ski Championships return in March.
Dr. Chris Hill, Utah's director of athletics and special assistant to the president of the University of Utah, has made Utah athletics a national player since taking the reins in 1987. Hill, who was just 37 years old when he was named director of athletics, has administered the U. athletics program through the most successful period in its history.
Hill's vision reaches beyond the athletics department. In 1998, he was named special assistant to U. president Dr. Bernie Machen. On a national level, Hill was the NCAA appointed chairman of the powerful Championships/Competition Cabinet from 1997-98. He now serves as the Mountain West Conference representative on the NCAA Management Council. He is chair of the Management Council's subcommittee on antitrust.
But Hill's biggest strides have come on the U. campus, where his tenure has been charged with capital improvements, an emphasis on student-athlete welfare and academics, the hiring of nationally-respected coaches, and winning programs.
Hill was the driving force behind an athletics corridor on the U. campus that now features numerous national caliber varsity athletic facilities. Results of Hill's fund-raising include: Rice-Eccles Stadium, a beautiful $50 million, 45,634-seat structure that opened in 1998, the Dumke Gymnastics Center, George S. Eccles Tennis Facility, Dee Glen Smith Athletics Center, Thomas Kearns McCarthey Practice Field (football), Ute Softball Field, Ute Baseball Field, Crimson Court (volleyball), Ute Soccer Field, Kenneth P. Burbidge Jr. Family Athletics-Academic Center and a bubbled indoor practice structure.
Hill became athletics director after two years as the athletic department's fund-raiser (1985-87). As director of development, he instigated tremendous growth and overhauled the Crimson Club. The New Jersey native first came to the U. as a graduate assistant basketball coach (1973-74) under Bill Foster. He was an assistant from 1979-81 for Jerry Pimm.
Between his two stints with Utah athletics, Hill was executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Utah (1981-85). In 1996, Hill was named the Utah MS Sportsperson of the Year. In 1984, Hill received an Outstanding Service Award from the Utah Recreation Therapy Association. He won a Milton Bennion Fellowship in 1981. In 1998, he was inducted into the Jersey Shore Hall of Fame.
As an undergraduate, Hill lettered three years and was co-captain of the 1971-72 Rutgers basketball team. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Rutgers (1972), a master's in education (Utah, 1974), and a Ph.D. in educational administration (Utah, 1982). Hill taught in the University's special education department from 1983-85. He coached boys' basketball at Granger High (Utah) from 1975-79, winning 4A coach of the year his first year.
Hill, 50, is married to the former Kathy Cronin-a clinical instructor in the U. special education department. They have two children: Aly (21) and Christopher (17). Aly played soccer at Oregon.
The University of Utah enjoys a richly deserved reputation as a top-notch academic institution. For the student-athlete, the U. provides the opportunity for an exceptional academic and athletic experience. The Utah athletic department is committed to providing the means for a quality education to every varsity athlete. With three full-time athletic academic advisors, the U. offers specialized academic counseling for its student-athletes.
Chris Reilly, a former Ute tennis player, is in his third year on the staff, his first as coordinator of academic services. Assistant coordinator of academic advising Rob Rainey is in his 10th year and Sandra Kanoshita is in her first year on the academic advising staff. The Ute academic team monitors the studies of each student-athlete to ensure he or she is making progress toward a degree. The academic advisors also dispense their knowledge of departmental and University requirements, and assist with course registration and the exploration and selection of majors.
Student-athlete services take a front seat in all aspects of Utah's approach to athletics. The new Kenneth P. Burbidge Jr. Family Athletics Academic Center will open early in 2001. Some of its features will be the latest in computer equipment, study and tutor areas and a career resource library.
Director of Student-Athlete Support Services Mary Bowman makes student-athlete concerns her full-time occupation. She oversees the U. academic team, as well as programs such as SAMS (Student-Athlete Mentors), SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and the Ute Speakers Bureau. Among Director of Athletic Relations Manny Hendrix's duties is managing the Partnering with U. program, which creates career internship and job shadowing opportunities for Utah's student-athletes.
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