Meet the Panthers Final.Indd
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Head Swim Coach Pitt Swimmin Chuck Knoles 1990-present Hometown: Flagstaff, Ariz. Alma Mater: Northern Arizona University, 1976, B.A. dual major in Spanish translation/ journalism, editorial writing. M.A.Ed. in secondary education and journalism, 1981. The 2010-11 season will be the 21st year Still recognized as the ‘Beast of the for Chuck Knoles at Pitt and his ninth year as East’ under Knoles,’ Pitt has recruited the top the head coach of both the men’s and women’s student-athletes,s both nationally and interna- swimming and diving teams. tionallyt to lead the Panthers back to the top Two of the past four seasons, a Knoles- ofo the conference. Knoles opened the 2008-09 coached team has opened the year with votes in seasons with two notable freshman classes, as the Top 25 College Swimming Coaches Associa- Collegeswimming.comC ranked the men 25th tion of America (CSCAA) dual-meet poll. anda listed the women’s incoming freshmen as Committed to success and the total pack- a ‘team to watch.’ The Knoles File... age his student-athletes receive at Pitt, Knoles In 2006, Knoles became the all-time win- values achievements both in and out of the pool. ningestn coach in men’s swimming and diving Knoles has helped produce... The level of excellence that his student-athletes schools history and currently boasts a 156-60 • An Olympic bronze medalist have achieved in the classroom illustrates his record,r surpassing legendary coach Ben Grady (Andy Jameson, Ariz. State) philosophy that the Pitt experience is far more (125-88-4)( on the all-time coaches’ list. • 15 Olympic Trials Qualifi ers than just breaking pool records. It involves pro- Under Knoles’ direction, the men have • One Olympic Trials Finalist ducing student-athletes that are the best they finishedf in the top three at the conference • An NCAA Champion (Mariusz Podkoscielny, Ariz.) can be. championshipsc in 18 of 19 years, including 11 • 51 NCAA Qualifi ers True to the student-athlete ideal, Knoles’ championshipc titles. The women have steadily • 25 Diff erent Individual Big East swimmers have performed exceptionally well climbedc back to the top of the league in the Champions (61 titles) in the classroom. The CSCAA recognized Pitt pastp fi ve years, including a second-place fi nish • 25 Big East Champion relay teams as an All-American Academic team on both ini 2005. • 11 Big East Championship the women’s and men’s side. In addition, two After Knoles took over the reins of the team titles student-athletes, Kristin Brown and Amy Miteff , women’sw team in 2002-03, the Panther women earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Amer- promptlyp broke 13 school records in his fi rst Awards and Recognition... ica honors in the last fi ve years. In 2008, Jeremy season.s The following season, more records • Six-time Big East Men’s Coach of the Stultz earned Big East/Aeropostale Scholar fellf and the women’s team received votes in Year honors Athlete of the Year accolades, joining Brown thet CSCAA national rankings for the fi rst time (2002, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1992, 1991) and Carolyne Savini (1999-2003) as previous ini nearly a decade. • Seven-time High School honorees. This past season, Jon Buchanan was Most recently, Kristin Brown and Stacie Coach of the Year honors named an institutional Big East Scholar Athlete. SafrittS each qualifi ed for the 2008 Olympic Trials. • College Swim Coaches In the pool, the Panthers have remained Brown would go on to fi nish among the top 35 Association (CSCAA) among the Big East elite. Last season, 10 U.S. swimmers in the 100, 200 and 400 freestyle Outstanding Achievement Award Panthers earned All-Big East honors. On the events.e • Four-time American Swimming Coaches Assoc. Award of Excellence women’s side, freshmen Joanna Budzis (200 On the men’s side, Jason Miller was the • CSCAA Master Coach Award IM and 200 back) and Kelsey Herbst (1650 free) thirdt Panther to qualify for the 2008 Olympic claimed those accolades. Likewise, freshman Trials.T Knoles’ Coaching Career Adam Maczewski earned an individual confer- Dating back to the 2007 Big East Cham- PITT ence honor in the 100 back. Six others garnered pionships,p Jeff Leath entered the Big East and Men’s & Women’s Head Coach All-Big East honors as members of the men’s 200 Pitt record books with his third 200 back Big Men’s Head Coach (1990-2002) medley, 200 free and 400 free relay teams. East crown in four years. Leath became the fi rst Two seasons ago, Pitt’s men and women swimmers in conference history to accomplish Fort Lauderdale Swim Team both claimed third-place league fi nishes at the suchs a feat, in that event. Head Coach (1989-90) 2009 Big East Championships. Pitt’s men’s team Likewise on the women’s side, then-senior was led by MVP Rousseau Kluever, who set a AndreaA Shoust swept the backstroke events Arizona rookie record in the 400 IM, when he placed sixth anda became the fi rst Panther to win conference Interim Head Coach (1988-89) in that event at the conference meet. He also crownsc in the 100 and 200 back since 1987. Ad- took eighth in the 200 fl y and 14th in the 200 IM ditionally,d Brown garnered her second consecu- Arizona State at the BEC. The 2008 MVP on the women’s side, tivet NCAA berth that year, which was the fi rst Assistant Men’s Coach (1986-88) Laura Barnes was a recipient of a Big East Swim- back-to-backb bid for a woman in nearly 20 years. ming and Diving Athlete of the Week honor, and During the 2006-07 season, the women’s Shadow Mountain High School Head Coach (1979-88) set school records in both the 100 and 200 breast teamt was led by a strong freestyle core and at the Big East Championships. She was also a brokeb several school records, setting the Melrose Recreation Association member of the record-setting 400 medley relay Panthers up for postseason competition. The Head Coach (1977-88) team. crowningc moment was when Brown earned an ng and Diving outright bid to the NCAAs. During his tenure, Knoles has consistently maintained the Panthers’ reputation as one of the top Knoles’ Career collegiate programs in the East and continues to lead his teams to success year after year. HeadHead Coaching Record But it hasn’t been easy. Knoles is aware of how competitive collegiate swimming has become, and demands that his student-athletes strive to maintain a hunger to compete. MEN’MEN’ S TETEAAMM By following Knoles’ formula for success and his goal for a national top-15 fi nish, the men have YEYEAR RERECORD inched closer and closer to a ranking in the last three seasons. At the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, 1990-91 8-3 the men fi nished with votes in the top 25 dual-meet rankings. 1991-92 6-36-3 Knoles has demonstrated his ability to win as a coach. In addition to the Panthers’ 11 men’s Big East 1992-93 9-3 Championships, his teams have also recorded three second-place fi nishes and two third-place fi nishes. His teams have a combined 203-79 dual meet record, while 19 of Knoles’ Pittsburgh swimmers have 1993-941993-94 10-210-2 been either Olympic Trial qualifi ers or fi nalists. He has garnered six Big East Men’s Swimming Coach of 1994-951994-95 9-39-3 the Year awards (1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2002). 1995-96 9-1 Knoles has had extensive experience and success coaching at the collegiate level, even prior to Pitt. 1996-97 8-3 As the interim head coach at the University of Arizona in 1988-89, he led both the men’s and women’s 1997-98 6-3 squads to a 15th-place fi nish at the NCAA Championships, and coached 13 All-Americans, including the 1998-99 5-75-7 school’s fi rst NCAA champion in any sport. 1999-001999-00 7-27-2 Knoles was head coach at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1977-1988, where 2000-012000-01 99-2-2 he coached both the men’s and women’s teams, and was named High School Skyline Coach of the Year 2001-022001-02 88-1-1 seven times while leading his teams to an amazing 132-23 combined record. In 1989, Knoles was the recipient of the College Swim Coaches Association Outstanding Achieve- 2002-032002-03 99-4-4 ment Award. He won the American Swimming Coaches Association Award of Excellence four times from 2003-042003-04 112-22-2 1990-1994 and was awarded the CSCAA’s Master Coach Award in 1996. He has served on the Executive 2004-052004-05 110-30-3 Board of the CSCAA for the past fi ve years. 2005-06 10-210-2 Knoles resides in Oakland. 2006-07 7-5 2007-08 10-5 2008-09 4-64-6 2009-10 6-4 TOTALTOTAL 162‐6464 (20(20 yyears)ears) WOMEN’EN’ S TETEAMAM YEYEAR RERECORD 2002-03 6-7 2003-04 8-68-6 2004-052004-05 110-30-3 2005-06 9-39-3 2006-07 9-39-3 2007-08 10-310-3 2008-09 8-5 2009-102009-10 7-5 TOTALTOTAL 67-35 (8 years)years) 28 Big East Championships and Counting... Pitt Swimmin HeadHead DDivingiving CoacCoachh JulianJulian KruKrugg 1979-present1979-present Hometown: San Jose, Calif.