Cooper VanDriessche - (Author)

A Family Summer to Remember: The Story of Matriarch Ali Shackell The sport of swimming has taken Ali Shackell on a journey all over the world. From her days as a swimmer at Auburn University to her time now as a swim-mom watching her three kids compete, Ali has been able to have an experience with t...

Long-time Indiana high school swimming coach John VanDriessche has been announced as the next head swimming and diving coach at Penn High School. The move was announced Wednesday by Penn High School Athletic Director Jeff Hart and is pending board approval.   VanDriessche comes to Penn after spendin...

The Kaitlin Sandeno Effect on Trials & Swimming Goes Beyond the Pool Kaitlin Sandeno has been around the sport of swimming for almost her entire life.  Sandeno, a two-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist, is a model of everything that USA Swimming represents; someone who has achieved excelle...

U.S. Olympic Trials: With a Green Wave on Hand, Notre Dame Swimming Enjoyed a Meet for the Ages It was an historic week at the Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis for the Notre Dame Swimming program.  Led by rising senior Chris Guiliano, the Notre Dame swimmers put together performances that had...

Two mainstays on the USA Swimming National Team have announced their retirement from the sport of swimming. Both Jake Foster and Dakota Luther made the announcement on their personal social media. Foster, who finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 200 breaststroke, is set to begin...

Caitlin Clark made an appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Olympic Swimming Team Trials on Tuesday sending the fans in attendance into a Hoosier Hysteria. Clark, one of the biggest names in sports, was at the Trials in conjunction with the theme of the night -celebrating women in sports. In an Ol...

Jessica Parratto Qualifies for Third Olympics in 10-meter Synchro Olympic Medalist Jessica Parratto qualified for her third Olympic Games last night following a dominant performance in the 10 Meter Synchronized event. Parratto and diving-partner Delaney Schnell outscored the next duo by over 100 poi...

Five-Time Olympian and four-time Olympic gold medalist Dara Torres has been named the head swimming and diving coach at Boston College.  In the midst of Olympic Trials taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Torres made the announcement on her personal social media. “Hello from Olympic Tr...

U.S. Olympic Trials: Opening Night Provides an Atmosphere Like No Other Swimming is more than just a sport in the State of Indiana, and nowhere was that more on display than on night one of the U.S. Olympic Trials. In front of a crowd of more than 20,000 people, the most to ever attend an indoor swi...

What the Olympic Swimming Trials Mean to the State of Indiana In the State of Indiana, sports are a sacred pastime.  From high school boys basketball, dubbed “Hoosier Hysteria,” to the backing of the Indianapolis Colts - regardless of record - Indiana residents rally around their sports teams, and s...

The Promise and Peril of the Olympic Swimming Trials Every four summers - COVID not withstanding -  the best swimmers in the United States travel to the Olympic Team Trials with hopes of making their childhood dreams come true and punching their ticket to the Olympic Games.  There is a mystique arou...

Why Swimming Needs to Adapt in the World of NIL Over the past two years, there has been a lot of discussion in the world of athletics on why college athletes should earn compensation for their name, image and likeness. While undoubtedly any athlete should have the right to compensate under those cat...

What Chris Guiliano Qualifying for the World Champs Means for Notre Dame At the recent USA Swimming Nationals in Indianapolis, a full roster of 26 men were named to the squad for the upcoming World Championships in Japan. For the most part, the names are recognizable. From Nic Fink to Ryan Murphy, t...

The Phillips 66 National Championships that took place last week at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis was one of the fastest meets in USA Swimming history. While Regan Smith was on the cusp of world records and the distance duo of Bobby Finke and Katie Ledecky continued their dominan...

Under-the-Radar Athletes Looking to Make A Splash at International Team Trials; Shackell Siblings Lurking This past month, hundreds of swimmers competed in either the TYR Pro Swim Series at Mission Viejo or the Indy Spring Cup in Indianapolis. For many athletes, these competitions were used as one l...

Breaking Through? Athletes Looking for the Top Spot at NCAA Championships This week, the best male collegiate swimmers in the nation will travel to Minneapolis for the NCAA Championships. It's a special meet that annually produces great matchups and considerable speed. For many athletes competing th...

At Indiana High School Championships, Talent Is Once Again Striking (Psych Sheets) On Friday, the best swimmers in the state of Indiana will gather at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis for the 2023 IHSAA Boys Swimming & Diving State Finals. Swimming in Indiana is a big deal, especially on the high s...

At Indiana High School Girls States, Talent In the Pool Is Striking In less than 24 hours, the best swimmers in the state of Indiana will gather at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis for the 2023 IHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving State Finals. Swimming in Indiana is a big deal, especially on the high sch...

From Olympian to Coach, Jennifer Brinegar Continues to Leave an Impact As swimmers bring in the new year, it is often the time to reflect on the year that was, while getting ready to embark on the journey ahead. Looking back on the past year allows one to reflect on the good times and the bad, while...

USRPT: How This 'Unconventional' Training Works Every athlete trains differently, and no one training regimen is the same for every athlete. This fact is especially true in the world of swimming. Over the course of the swimming's history, training has evolved through advancements in technology and a...