This week saw one of the biggest NCAA coaching vacancies filled, as Augie Busch was officially announced as the new head coach of the University of Arizona, taking over for the retiring Rick DeMont. Read about that story and all the latest from the past seven days in The Week That Was.
The Week That Was #5 – Josh Schneider Announces Retirement
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
American sprinter and Pan American Games gold medalist Josh Schneider announced his retirement in a post on his Facebook page last week. Schneider first came to prominence nationally when he became Cincinnati’s first NCAA Champion when he won the 50 free back in 2010. He would go on to represent the United States at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Dubai that same year, taking home a gold and bronze medal. He would go on to represent the U.S. at the World University Games, 2014 Short Course Worlds and at the 2015 Pan American Games, where he would bring home a gold medal in the 50 free. Schneider was fourth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and fifth at the 2016 Trials in the 50 free, and he concluded his career at Nationals just last week where he finished 11th out of the heats in the 50. You can see Schneider’s statement from his Facebook page here.
The Week That Was #4 – Olympians Announce Global Association Of Pro Swimmers
This week saw professional swimmers from around the globe stand together by launching the Global Association of Professional Swimmers (GAPS). The group’s website advocates for unifying professional swimmers’ voices so they can affect change and influence the future of the sport. Many high profile athletes from around the world have joined the group, including the Cate and Bronte Campbell, Adam Peaty, Sarah Sjostrom and Conor Dwyer. A major contributor to the launch of this union seems to have been FINA’s changes to the upcoming World Cup circuit earlier this summer. Those changes limited the number of events athletes could swim at a certain circuit stop and also gave Olympic and World Champs medalists direct access to the finals of their events. You can see the website for the Global Association of Professional Swimmers here.
The Week That Was #3 – Dana Vollmer Gives Birth To Second Son
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Three-time Olympian Dana Vollmer gave birth to her second son, Ryker Alexander Grant, this past Tuesday. The gold medalist announced the birth on social media, delivering the boy at 3:15 a.m. PST on July 4. The butterflyer is also mother to two-year-old Arlen, who she delivered shortly before making her comeback to qualify for the Rio Olympics where she won three medals, one of each color. Unlike during her first pregnancy, Vollmer has stayed in the water and notably competed while six months pregnant back in April at the Mesa Arena Pro Series. It was at that meet that she announced the sex of her baby by wearing a green racing suit. Vollmer has stated that she plans to return to competition by next summer and hopes to represent the United States internationally by 2018.
The Week That Was #2 – Joseph Schooling Posts World No. 2 Time in the 100 Butterfly
Photo Courtesy: Caroline Kosciusko
Joseph Schooling made a major statement at the 2017 Austin Speedo Sectionals, setting up what is likely to be seen as an epic showdown in just a few weeks in Budapest against his former Bolles teammate Caeleb Dressel. The defending Olympic gold medalist swam his way to the No. 2 time in the world in the 100 butterfly so far this year, stopping the clock at 50.96 to move just behind Caeleb Dressel in the world rankings. That knocks nearly a second off of his current season best of 51.82 and more than half a second off his previous in-season best, which stood at a 51.58 back in June of 2016 in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics.
The Week That Was #1 – Augie Busch Takes Over University of Arizona
Augie Busch has been appointed the head coach at the University of Arizona, taking over both the men’s and women’s swim teams. There was a lot of speculation about who would take over for Rick DeMont after he announced his retirement in May, and Busch was at the top of the list of possible candidates. Busch’s connections to the University of Arizona are strong. He graduated from the university in 1998 and returned as a full-time assistant in 2003, working under his father, Frank Busch, for the next eight years. During his time as an assistant the men’s and women’s teams won team titles at NCAA’s in 2008 and posted 15 top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships. When Frank Busch left Arizona to becomes the National Team Director for USA Swimming, Augie left to coach the Houston Cougars for two seasons before moving on to become the head coach at the University of Virginia in 2013. Busch led the Cavaliers to three straight women’s ACC championship titles and two top-five NCAA finishes. Also returning to Arizona will be Cory Chitwood, an alum and 3-time NCAA Champion in the 200 backstroke, and Sam Busch, Augie’s brother.
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