2006-2007 Coaches Profiles DAVE SALO • HEAD COACH 1ST YEAR Dave Salo, one of the nation’s top club swimming coaches for more than 15 years and a former Trojan assistant coach, has been named head coach for USC’s men’s and women’s swimming teams, Athletic Director Mike Garrett announced today (April 21). He replaces Mark Schubert, who is assuming USA Swimming’s head coach position after guiding USC swimming for the past 14 years. “Dave Salo brings a wealth of experience at all levels of competitive swimming,” said Associate Athletic Director Dr. Brandon Martin, who conducted the nationwide search to replace Schubert. “We believe that Dave is a perfect fit for our department, in terms of both developing and educating our student- athletes as well as winning championships.” Salo, 47, who has coached Olympic medalists such as former Trojans Lenny In addition to his work with the Novas, Pirates won the 2003 California state title and Krayzelburg and Gabe Woodward, Aaron he has served extensively at the national Salo was honored as state Co-Coach of the Peirsol, Amada Beard, Staciana Stitts, Colleen level, including head coaching assignments Year. Also in 2003, he became the Founding Lanne and Jason Lezak, comes to USC for the United States at the 2005 World Director of Aquatics at Soka University in Alisa after serving as head coach of the Irvine Championships (men) and the 2001 Goodwill Viejo, Calif., where he recently completed his Novaquatics from 1990 to 2006. Games (men). His assistant coaching duties second season with the Lions. “Returning to USC, following in the footsteps for the U.S. include the 2004 Olympics Salo joined the Novas after five seasons of Hall of Fame coaches Peter Daland and (men), 2003 World Championships (men and (1985-90) working under legendary USC Mark Schubert, is a coach’s dream,” said women), 2002 Pan Pacific Championships swimming coach Peter Daland. He helped Salo. “The fact that it becomes my reality can’t (men), 2000 Olympics (women) and the 1999 guide Troy’s men’s team to five Top 5 NCAA be described adequately. Pan American Games (women). finishes, including second-place marks in “I have had a dream coaching career - Nova swimmers and alums who trained 1987, 1988 and 1990. Troy also had perfect coaching some of the best swimmers in the under Salo have consistently dotted the roster dual-meet records in 1988, 1990 and 1991. world with one of the best clubs in the country. of U.S. national teams, often in starring roles. Among the USC swimmers he helped coach The opportunity to come back to USC to Peirsol, the world record holder in the 100 and were NCAA champions and Olympians Dave coach one of the most storied programs in the 200 backstroke (lcm), is a two-time Olympian Wharton and Dan Jorgensen. history of collegiate swimming is tremendously and won 2004 Olympic gold medals in the Salo graduated from Long Beach State with exciting. I am looking forward to contributing aforementioned events. Beard is a three-time a B.A. and M.A. in exercise physiology and to the culture of expected excellence at Olympian with seven medals, one of many also served as an assistant women’s swimming USC.” elite breaststrokers who have come under coach there in 1981 and 1982. He earned Salo guided the Novas to numerous Junior Salo’s tutelage. Lezak, a four-time Olympic his doctorate in the same field from USC in National and U.S. National team titles as well medalist in two appearances, is among 1991. as several age group championships. He was American’s greatest sprinters. Salo swam for Santa Rosa Junior College tabbed 2002 U.S. Swimming Coach of the Besides duties with the Novas and the U.S. from 1976 to 78 before transferring to Long Year after leading the Novas to U.S. Spring team, Salo served as co-head coach at Orange Beach State. and Summer national titles. Coast College from 2000 to 2004. The 2006-2007 USC Swimming and Diving 39 2006-2007 Coaches Profiles ADAM CROSSEN PAUL DAVIDSON ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH FIRST YEAR FIRST YEAR Adam Crossen, a former Trojan swimmer who has collegiate and club Paul Davidson, who has more than 20 years of experience coaching at coaching experience at some of the top programs in the country, is in his the collegiate and club levels, is in his first year as an assistant swimming first year as a USC assistant swimming coach. coach at USC. Crossen, 31, comes to USC after serving under current Trojan head Davidson comes to USC after serving as an assistant coach at UNLV coach Dave Salo at Soka University and with the Irvine Novaquatics club in 2006, where he coached the distance groups and handled women’s team. He was the associate head coach for the Novas (2003-2006) and as recruiting. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Cal Lutheran from assistant with Soka (2004-2006). 2003-05, helping to build the program from scratch. While with the Novaquatics, Crossen helped coach some of America’s Davidson’s other collegiate coaching experience came at Michigan, a top swimmers, including former Trojan and Olympian Lenny Krazyelburg and Olympian Jason Lezak. He handled coaching and recruiting for both three-year stint from 1994 to 1996. While working in Ann Arbor, he also the men’s and women’s teams at Soka. Also during his tenure with the was an assistant coach for Club Wolverine. During his stint in Michigan, Novas, Crossen served as the director of the USA Swimming 2004 Select the women’s team finished second at the 1995 NCAA Championships and Camp for the Western region held at Soka University. Club Wolverine won a title at the U.S. Summer Nationals that same year. Prior to his stint with Soka and the Novaquatics, Crossen spent three From 1996 to 2005, Davidson was head coach at Conejo Simi Aquat- years (2000-2003) as an assistant women’s swimming coach at California ics in Simi Valley, Calif. Under his tutelage, the club produced several U.S. under former Trojan swimmer and current Bear head coach Teri McKeever. Olympic Trials and National Championships qualifiers, grew in membership Crossen coached close to 20 All-Americans in his time with the Bears, and won the Coastal section championship in 2000. including Olympic gold medal winner and three-time NCAA swimmer of Davidson began his coaching career with the SoCal Aquatics Associa- the year Natalie Coughlin as well as Olympic medalist and current Trojan tion in Tustin, Calif., where he served as senior coach and assistant national assistant swimming coach Staciana Winfield. Crossen, who was involved coach from 1985-1994 before moving on to Michigan. in all facets of the Bear program, helped Cal to top 10 finishes in all three He was a member of the UC Irvine water polo team from 1980-85 and years he was there. was a part of the NCAA Championship team in 1982. He graduated from His stint with the Bears was preceded by a graduate assistant turn at UCI in 1988 with a bachelor of arts degree in film studies and comparative Auburn University under head coach David Marsh from 1997 to 2000. Working with both programs, he helped guide the men’s team to an NCAA literature. title in 1999 and to a runner-up finish in 1998. The women’s team finished fifth in 2000 and sixth in 1998 while Crossen was there. Crossen was the head coach of the Auburn Master Team and worked as a coach and head counselor at the Auburn Swim Camp as well. A four-year swimmer under former USC coach Mark Schubert (1994- 97), Crossen graduated from USC in 1997 with a degree in exercise science. He earned a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Auburn in 2000. While at USC, he was a member of the Pac-10 Conference Student Athlete Committee. He is married to the former Julie Peck and the couple is expecting its first child. 40 2006-2007 USC Swimming and Diving 2006-2007 Coaches Profiles STACIANA WINFIELD ASSISTANT COACH FIRST YEAR Staciana Winfield, a 2000 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and four-time Pan Am Games gold medalist, is in her first year as an assistant swimming coach at USC. Winfield, whose maiden name is Stitts, was an assistant coach at the College of Charleston in 2005-2006, helping the men’s and women’s team post a school-record 18 point scorers at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. One of America’s top breaststrokers from 1998 to 2004, Winfield’s resume is topped by her 2000 Olympic gold medal, which she earned swimming the breaststroke leg in the prelims of the 400-meter medley relay in Sydney, Australia. She won a pair of 100m breaststroke titles at the 1999 and 2003 Pan Am Games and swam the breaststroke leg on U.S.-winning 400m medley relays as well. She is also a three-time Goodwill Games medalist, a 2002 World Championships finalist (100m breast) and a 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials two-time finalist (100m and 200m breast). Winfield, 24, earned multiple All-American honors as a four-year star at California, where she was a four-time NCAA individual finalist and was part of Cal’s 2000 NCAA-title-winning 200m medley relay. She was also a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic first team selection. Winfield, from Encinitas, Calif., and a graduate of Carlsbad (Calif.) High, was a junior national champion in 1997 and the California High School state champion in 1998 in both the 100y and 200y breast.