Continued...

RS: What would you tell a student choosing between a Division I, II, and III school?

MD: I think it depends on the athlete's goals. From an athletic level, the competition in Division I is higher that in Division II and II. A high school student that is looking to compete at that higher level should begin by looking at schools in Division I. Also, there is a wide variety in Division I and even with DI conferences as I mentioned before.

However, there are some very fast Division II and III schools out there. Looking at the results from NCAA Division II and III championships, you can see that a number of these swimmers would be very competitive in some Division I conferences. Some of those people in Division II and III could be getting assistance (grant-in-aid) at certain Division I schools. So, it really depends on what the student's individual goals are. Division II and III schools are typically a little smaller and offer a different environment with a different collegiate experience than a lot of the larger Division I universities. Again, each school has individual strengths and weaknesses so the high school student needs to really look at what a prospective school needs to offer. So I think that choosing between a Division I, II and III school is another part of the selection.

RS: And finally, what do you (as a coach) look for in a recruit?

MD: I really look for somebody that is going to fit in. I have a list of things for us, but again different programs are different. I would want someone that has a lot of desire and wants to make a run with it.

So to me it doesn't matter so much if they are already speedy when they get here. We have some people that aren't so fast when they get here, but we have talked at some length before they join us about where they are and where they need to be. I look for those people to really want to make a run at getting there. I think that is a factor in what separates the more elite athletes: at some point in a swimmer's career they really need to make a conscience decision that they want to be great and that they really want to do this sport-as opposed to "all my friends do it" or "I've been doing to so long that I don't know how to stop."

These aren't legit reasons, to me, to be involved with the sport at the collegiate level. Recreational swimming is tremendous and the sport itself is absolutely fantastic. But to be a competitive in Division I as a collegiate athlete requires a commitment to oneself that he/she really wants to do this. And I feel the same about the national and world class swimmers that are with us, that personal commitment to excellence is the key.

I also think that it is very important that swimmers want to be in an environment that is very open in terms of supporting each other. That doesn't mean that everyone has to be best friends, although I do expect some of that. But I expect on a daily and weekly basis that people are supportive of each other in training. When someone does something great in training, I expect other people on the team to acknowledge that. When someone does something great in competition, I expect other people on the team to acknowledge that. It is not possible for the coaches to do enough of that by themselves.

Our university is rather taxing academically. So I look for people that are going to be able to be successful here academically. I look for people that are going to fit in academically here, fit in athletically, who will bring things to the table that will help the team as a whole (not always necessarily athletically), and that they will really fit in. Every college coach wants his or her athletes to be successful. You want people to come in and swim well, do well athletically, and have a lot of fun, be a lot of fun, and be happy alumni. It shouldn't be less than that.