Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Swimming & Diving: The Tradition Continues
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Winning Ways
Since Daniella Irle took over as head coach in 1992, Fresno State has
posted at least nine wins in all six seasons - including 10 in 1993, 1995,
1996, and 1997, and a program-best 11 wins last season. In the 20 years of
Fresno State women's swimming prior to Irle's arrival, the Bulldogs had
managed just four nine-plus winning campaigns. In addition, the Bulldogs
have posted four third-place finishes at the last five WAC championships,
higher than any Fresno State team in the previous 20 seasons, and have had
their first NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans.
The Big WAC Attack
Recognized as a solid conference nationally, the Western Athletic
Conference has regularly had athletes attend and score at the NCAA
Championships, including Fresno State's own Holly Gravatt for the past
three seasons. As recently as 1994, the WAC has boasted an NCAA champion
who also set an American record in the 50 free. The WAC got even stronger
in 1996 with the addition of national powers Southern Methodist
University and Rice University. In 1997, seven WAC schools had NCAA
qualifiers, with SMU finishing a conference-high fourth place at the NCAA
Championships.
Championship Swims
Fresno State has finished 29th, 30th and 40th at the last three NCAA
Championships, respectively. It had its first NCAA scorer in 1996 when
Holly Gravatt finished seventh in the 200 breast. Gravatt scored in the
200 breast again last season as she earned All-American honors and became
the first Bulldog to garner All-America honors twice in her career after
she placed 8th in the 200 in 1998. The Bulldogs have had either an
automatic or provisional NCAA qualifier every year since 1993. And along
with consistent NCAA appearances, Fresno State finished in 18th place at
the 1995 Senior Nationals with the 800 free, 400 free and 400 medley relay
teams finishing fifth, ninth and 13th, respectively. Most recently, five
Bulldogs competed at the 1998 Summer Nationals in Clovis, Calif.
Honors & Accolades
Conference and regional honors have become the norm for Fresno State
swimming under head coach Daniella Irle. In the past five years, Fresno
State has produced numerous WAC Athlete of the Week winners and two WAC
Coach of the Year honors. And, for the past three seasons, the 'Dogs have
had an All-American at the NCAA meet.
Scholar-Athletes
The swim team had a total of 21 Fresno State scholar-athletes in 1998, the
fourth-most for any athletic team at Fresno State. They were named an
Academic All-American Swim Team by the College Swimming Coaches
Association of America (CSCAA) for the seventh consecutive semester in the
spring of 1998. Their team GPA of 3.29 during the fall put them at a
school-best 6th in the nation among other swimming and diving programs.
The Bulldogs also had eleven WAC Scholar-Athletes and eight WAC Academic
All-Conference selections. In addition, eleven Fresno State swimmers made
the Deanis List after earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in
the 1997 fall semester. It was more of the same during the spring as the
team registered a 3.288GPA, with nine on the Deanis List and a ranking of
17th nationally.
Booster Club
For the first time in 1995, coach Daniella Irle and some hard working
parents and community supporters of the swimmers reorganized the Splash
Club in an effort to gain more community support. The club has grown each
year and even more members are expected to actively show their support for
swimming and diving for the 'Dogs this season.
Great Competition Facility
The Clovis West Swim Complex, site of Fresno Stateis home meets this
season, has hosted an array of national championships. Located on the
campus of Clovis West High School in northeast Fresno approximately five
miles from campus, the complex includes a 50 meter by 25 yard pool, a 25
meter diving pool with diving platforms and a shallow training pool. The
1983 and 1987 U.S.A. National Long Course Championships have been hosted
at the complex, and most recently, the 1994 and 1997 U.S.A. Junior
National Long Course Championships. The site also hosted the 1998 U.S.A.
Summer Nationals. A total of five American and six world records have been
set at the complex, as well as a number of Bulldog school records.
Diving Program
Fresno State brought back its diving program two seasons ago after a
12-year absence. Fresno State finished third in the WAC four straight
years from 1992 to 1996 without a diving team. With strong divers on the
roster this season, the Bulldogs should continue to climb up the WAC
ladder. Diving coach Chris Zoltoski joined the staff in August and was the
perfect choice to help develop Bulldog divers into some of the nation's
best. Bulldog divers will be competing against some of the nation's best
at the highly competitive USC Diving Invitational (Nov. 20-22), as well as
in our dual meets against Cal and UCLA, and the Colorado State
Invitational.
