CINCINNATI, Ohio, June 18. CINCINNATI native Mandy Commons-DiSalle has been named the University of Cincinnati swimming and diving head coach, Director of Athletics Mike Bohn announced Wednesday.
Commons-DiSalle takes the helm of the program following four seasons as an assistant coach for the Bearcats.
“Mandy seized this opportunity and won the role as head coach for the Bearcats swimming and diving program,” Bohn said. “She will have an immediate and lasting impact on all on our swimming constituents. She distinguished herself as the clear leader from an outstanding field of candidates. She is a former standout competitor who has transcended to being a proven recruiter with a strong commitment to student-athlete welfare. We were extremely impressed with her grit, poise and passionate attitude during our extensive search process.”
During her time at UC, Commons-DiSalle has served as the recruiting coordinator for both the men’s and women’s programs. Recently, she was responsible for recruiting an eagerly anticipated, 14-member signing class for the 2014-15 season which will add depth to the UC roster in several events.
“It’s a great honor to assume leadership of the Cincinnati program,” Commons-DiSalle said. “I am very proud to represent Cincinnati and my hometown University. We have some outstanding student-athletes here and I am fully invested in the development of our program and excited to be able to continue to inspire this team. I want to thank the University leadership and my athletic department colleagues for this tremendous opportunity and I am looking forward to the future successes I believe we will collectively achieve.”
On the women’s side, she helped mentor Jackie Keire to a pair of American Athletic Conference championships in 2014, while the freshman also qualified for the NCAA Championships in three events. Commons-DiSalle has also helped grow the men’s program as they continue a transition to full scholarships which began in 2013.
Working as the Bearcats’ recruiting coordinator, Commons-DiSalle was responsible for leading and organizing on-campus visits for prospective student-athletes and their families, while maintaining relationships with club teams and high schools throughout the country. She also developed the budget for recruiting, while assisting with team operations for equipment orders and travel arrangements.
“Cincinnati is a great swimming town,” Commons-DiSalle said. “There are great youth programs, which I was a part of growing up, strong high school teams and a wealth of prospective student-athletes and fans. We are going to do our best to keep those kids in Cincinnati while reaching out nationally and internationally to put together the best team we can.”
Prior to coming to UC, she spent one season as a coach with the Cincinnati Marlins, developing swimmers aged 6-14. Prior to that, she spent two years as the owner of Varsity Athletic Consulting, a firm designed to help guide Cincinnati-area athletes through the college recruiting process.
Before entering the private sector, Commons-DiSalle began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at the University of Toledo. While with the Rockets, she helped coordinate the budget, team travel, scholarship distribution and helped oversee the program’s fundraising efforts.
Commons-DiSalle swam collegiately at Clemson, where she was a four-time NCAA Championship qualifier, earning Honorable Mention All-America status in 2001 and ’02. She was also a National Strength & Conditioning All-American in 2000. She majored in economics with a minor in human resource management, receiving her degree from Clemson in 2003. She earned an MBA while coaching at Toledo.
Commons-DiSalle was a three-time Ohio High School Athletic Association state champion at Sycamore High School, where she is enshrined in the school’s athletic hall of fame. She and her husband, Eric, reside in Cincinnati.
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