Swimming Head Coach CLARK CAMPBELL Swimming Head Coach Fifth Year Kansas 1993 Fifth-year head coach Clark Campbell looks to build off of a remarkable 2005-06 season. Campbell completed his fourth year at Kansas with an 8-2 dual meet record and a perfect 3-0 mark in Big 12 competition. He also recorded his 100th career win and coached the Jayhawks to a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. The 2005-06 swimming and diving season was one for the record books. Kansas set four school records and had had six swimmers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Kansas jumped into the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division I Top- 25 Poll for the first time since 1997, an outstanding honor for both Campbell and the team. The Jayhawks accepted Academic All- America team honors for the second year in a row. Their team GPA of 3.26 during the fall semester placed them first within the Big 12 Conference. Fourteen Jayhawks were selected as Academic All-Big 12 First Team honorees. Two Jayhawks received Second Team accolades. As an Academic All-America team, Kansas repeated its outstanding performance in the classroom during the spring semester, improving its team GPA to 3.39. The achievement placed the Jayhawks 22nd highest among all Division I swimming and diving programs and first within the Big 12 Conference. The swimming and diving team also recorded the highest GPA among all athletic teams at the University of Kansas. Seven Jayhawk swimmers were selected Academic All-American honorable mention. Under Campbell, freshman Ashley Leidigh earned Academic All-American status for her accomplishments, both academically and athletically during the spring semester. Leidigh made her first appearance at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., competing in both the 100 and 200-yard butterfly. During the 2004-05 season, the Jayhawk swimmers had 16 entries into KU's top-five record books. Two swimmers, Amy Gruber and Jenny Short, qualified for the 2005 NCAA Championships. Campbell's team not only performed well in the pool, but also in the classroom. Jenny Short, Jackie Krueger, Lindsey Urbatchka and Terri Schramka were all honored by the CSCAA as Academic All-Americans for the 2004-05 season. The Jayhawks' 3.21 team GPA also landed Kansas on the CSCAA Academic All- America team's list, where KU ranked 40th overall for highest team GPA. The swimming and diving team had 17 members named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, 15 named to the first team and two named to the second team. In Campbell's four seasons, the swimming and diving program has produced two Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year in Gwen Haley and Gruber. Campbell, the 2000 Missouri Valley Conference Men's and Women's Swimming Coach of the Year, led several athletes to success at the national level and helped the Evansville program reach new heights. Impressively, Evansville established school records in all 19 men's and women's events while Campbell was at the helm of the program in 1998. Those top marks included 12 Missouri Valley Conference records. During his four year tenure at Evansville, his squads were named Academic All-America by the CSCAA all eight semesters. Prior to his appointment at Evansville, Campbell served as an assistant men's coach at the University of Minnesota from 1995-98. During his time in Minneapolis, the Golden Gophers captured Big Ten Conference titles in 1996 and 1998 while earning top 15 finishes all three years at the NCAA Championships. Campbell served as the head coach of the men's and women's programs at West Virginia Wesleyan from 1993-95 and directed that school into a top 10 NAIA program in just two years. He was named the NAIA Swimming Coach of the Year in 1995. Campbell competed as a professional triathlete for seven years before his coaching career began. After turning professional at the age of 19, he became one of the most consistent top-10 finishers on the pro circuit. During his career, Campbell was self-coached. He was the 1986 National Long Course Champion and the 1990 runner-up at the United States Triathlon Series National Championship. Campbell received a Bachelor s degree from Kansas in 1993, and a Master s in physical education/coaching from West Virginia University in 1995. Campbell and his wife, Cassie, have three children, Canaan (10), Cierra (9) and Claire (6). CAMPBELL S FILE HIRED AT KANSAS:....August 1, 2002 RECORD AT KANSAS:..........31-16 OVERALL RECORD:..101-61 (9 seasons) SWIMMING EXPERIENCE:.1984- Kansas COACHING EXPERIENCE 2002-Present........Kansas Head Coach 1998-2002..University of Evansville, Men s...............and Women s Head Coach 1995-1998.University of Minnesota, Men s........................assistant Coach 1993-1995 West Virginia Wesleyan College,.........Men s and Women s Head Coach 1992-1993......Kansas, Assistant Coach BIRTHPLACE........Grand Rapids, Mich. BIRTHDAY...............May 3, 1966 FAMILY.......................... Married to the former Cassie Calendar Children: Canaan (10), Cierra (9) and Claire (6) 22 kuathletics.com
Coaches JEN FOX Assistant Coach Fourth Year Kansas 2001 ERIC ELLIOTT Diving Head Coach Third Year West Chester 1992 As a former Jayhawk swimmer, assistant coach Jen Fox will embark on her fourth year at Kansas alongside head coach Clark Campbell and diving coach Eric Elliott. Former head coach and former assistant athletic director Gary Kempf recruited Fox to swim for Kansas. Fox competed in the backstroke and the freestyle events. She was a seven-time scorer at the Big 12 Championships during her tenure as an athlete at KU from 1996-2000. Fox was a student assistant under former KU head coach Cathy Burgess during the 2000-01 season. She graduated from KU in 2001 with a general studies degree in communications. After graduation, the Mansfield, Ohio, native, joined the full-time staff of Athletes in Action. Athletes in Action is a Christian-based sports group that helps student-athletes throughout the country. AIA sent her to the University of Virginia where she became a volunteer assistant under head coach Mark Bernardino and worked with the men's and women's swimming teams. Both teams finished in the top 10 in the NCAA. "Jen was an accomplished athlete and she is a great coach," head coach Clark Campbell said. Diving coach Eric Elliott enters his third year at the University of Kansas looking to rise above the diving competition within Kansas' Zone D. During the 2005-06 season, Elliott had three Jayhawks qualify for the Zone "D" Diving Championships in Columbia, Mo. Senior Robyn Karlage, junior Shelby Noonan, and senior Casey Topol, scored honors in the top- 25 in the one-meter competition at the Zone D Championships. In threemeter competition, Karlage, Noonan, and Topol all placed in the top-30. Under Elliott, Noonan led the 2005-06 team with first place finishes against Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa State and Drury. She also earned a fourth place finish at the Minnesota Invitational, where the swimming and diving team placed third. Elliott joined the Jayhawks for the 2004-05 season after one year as the head diving coach at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Prior to coaching at Louisiana-Monroe, he was a volunteer assistant coach with the University of Georgia diving team and started an age-group program with Dan Laak in 1995 in Athens, Ga. In eight years with the diving program, he coached divers that reached the Junior National finals and who represented the Junior U.S. Diving team in international competitions. Elliott began his coaching career at Upper Marion High School in Pennsylvania before being named the head diving coach at Old Dominion University from 1993-94 and Virginia Tech from 1994-95. A native of Alexandria, Va., Elliott was an accomplished diver himself. He earned high school All-American diving honors at Mount Vernon High School and NCAA Division II All-American honors at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He graduated from West Chester with a secondary education degree with an emphasis in history in 1992. Elliott is married to Kirsteen Bennington and they have a son, Liam (4), and daughter, Doran (2). 2006-07 SWIMMINGS WIMMING AND DIVING SUPPORT STAFFAFF Laura Jacobsen Academic Advisor Ann Turner Athletic Trainer Darric Hannold Strength Coach David Pfeuffer Performance Enhancement Megan Brent Sports Psychologist Randy Bird Team Nutritionist Ron Aulet Equipment Manager Bernie Kish Natatorium Director kuathletics.com 23
2006 Winter Training Trip: Ft. Lauderdale In January 2006, the Kansas swimming and diving team adventured to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on their annual winter training trip. The Jayhawks train at a different location each winter, and each trip promises an exciting, warm locale. Team bonding paired with challenging training in a remarkable setting combines to create an experience of a lifetime. The following are stories from three student-athletes who have experienced multiple training trips with the Jayhawks. 2007 Training Trip Destination: San Luis Potosi, Mexico 24 kuathletics.com
2006 Winter Training Trip: Ft. Lauderdale While everyone else is at home in the cold snow, we are most likely at the beach! While it seems like paradise, we do get much-needed hard work accomplished. As a team, we come together in all aspects: swimming, conditioning and bonding. Coach makes something fun out of every practice, and we put variety in our workouts, so you never know what fun, new thing the next practice holds. Tricia Tindall, Senior I was accomplishing goals during the training trip that I never thought I could. The training trip was a breakthrough point for me. The experience of training together in an exotic place really gave the team an opportunity to bond and get to know one another. We were able to go to the local market to shop around, lay on the beaches, and adventure around to learn more about the culture and traditions of the Bahamas. All of our classes bonded because we participated in team building exercises that made each of us realize our strengths and our individual contributions to the team. I have never felt closer to a group of women in my life. We came back to Kansas with a tan that our classmates envied and an experience that will stick with my teammates and myself for the rest of our lives! Lauren Bonfe, Junior Having the chance to travel to a slightly warmer climate during the holidays is always a fun opportunity! For my freshman and junior year, the team flew down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. during our winter break. My sophomore year was one trip that really sticks out because I had never been out of the country before. We had the opportunity to train in the Bahamas National Pool. Seeing the different culture and being able to experience some of the native traditions was truly a rewarding experience. We all feel extremely lucky, not only to have amazing training during our break from classes, but also to visit places we might not otherwise be able to see. Lia Pogioli, Senior kuathletics.com 25
One for the record books A YEAR IN REVIEW 2005-06 Season Review The 2005-06 swimming and diving season was one for the record books. Concluding a phenomenal freshman campaign, Ashley Leidigh gained national attention, earning honors as Big 12 Swimmer of the Month in November and National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week honors by collegeswimming.com for her performance against Missouri. One of six qualifiers for the NCAA Championship meet, Leidigh was the only Kansas competitor at the NCAA meet. Emily Rusch and Gina Gnatzig,2005-06 Team Captains Helping the team to a third place finish at the Minnesota Invitational, Leidigh set her first school record in the 100-yard butterfly. Two other Kansas records were shattered at the Minnesota Invitational. Leidigh, freshman Danielle Herrmann, sophomore Terri Schramka and junior Jenny Short collaborated to improve the Kansas 400-yard medley relay mark. Finishing off the record-breaking day, Herrmann added to the collection, setting a school record in the 100-yard breaststroke. For the second consecutive year, the Jayhawks captured a fourth place finish at the Big 12 Championship meet. Senior co-captain Gina Gnatzig had a standout day, adding one more Kansas record to the books in the 500-yard freestyle. In NCAA regional diving competition, senior Robyn Karlage, junior Shelby Noonan, and senior Casey Topol scored honors in the top 25 in the one-meter competition at the Zone D Diving Championships. In three-meter competition, Karlage, Noonan and Topol all placed in the top 30. In addition to the phenomenal Zone meet, Noonan finished a successful junior campaign with first place victories in all but two meets.. The Jayhawks finished the remarkable season with an 8-2 dual meet record, finishing 3-0 in Big 12 competition. The team set four new school records. Kansas jumped into the CSCAA Division I top-25 poll for the first time since 1997, an outstanding honor for both the team and fourth-year head coach Clark Campbell, who recorded his 100th career win on Senior Night, following the last dual meet of the season against Drury. The team accepted Academic All-America team honors for the Fall semester with a 3.26 team GPA, ranking first in the Big 12 Conference. Fourteen Jayhawks were selected as Academic All-Big 12 First Team honorees. Two Jayhawks received second team honors. Wrapping up the season at the team's annual postseason awards banquet, Gnatzig earned the Tammy Thomas MVP award and senior Lindsey Urbatchka won the Karen Dionne award for the most inspirational member. Senior co-captain Emily Rusch received the Academic Award for her work in the classroom, and Leidigh collected the Rookie of the Year award. Members of the 2005-06 Kansas swimming and diving team pose for a picture during their training trip to Pompano Beach, Fla. 26 kuathletics.com