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Entering his fifteenth season at the helm of the Fordham Men and Women's Swimming & Diving programs is Head Coach and Director of Aquatics, Steve Potsklan. Investing a great deal of time and energy into the rebuilding of the two squads, Potsklan watched as his investment paid off, with the women's team taking third at the 2007 Atlantic 10 Championships, Fordham's best team finish at the championship. Besides the team finish last winter, the season was another record-setter for the Rams, with four individual and one relay record falling on the year. Leading the record-setter was freshman Caitlin Napoli, who won the 200 freestyle at the Atlantic 10 Championships in a school-record time of 1:51.71, and freshman Ryan Coombs, who was named the Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Rookie after earning First Team honors by winning the 500 free while also taking home Second Team accolades for a second place showing in the 200 freestyle. The 2007 team finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship surpassed the 2001-02 season in which the men's and women's teams each placed fourth at the championship meet, a feat the women's team repeated in 2002-03. For his accomplishments, Potsklan received the 2001 Iron Major Award as Fordham University's Coach of the Year. With 76 Fordham records and several other conference marks set by student-athletes during his tenure, Potsklan's teams have enjoyed much individual success, including eight Atlantic 10 and three ECAC individual titles since 1995-96. Under Potsklan, Akira Kosugi was named the Atlantic 10's Most Outstanding Performer in 1996 while Paul Delo was named Diver of the Meet at the Atlantic 10 championships in 1996 and 1997. In 1999-2000, Maik Wiedenbach, one of the top sprinters in the Atlantic 10, received the Vincent T. Lombardi Award as Fordham's top male athlete as he set the school 50 and 100 freestyle records at the Atlantic 10 championships. In 2000-01, Potsklan saw freshman Keanan Faruq earn Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at the championship meet while in 2001-02 the Rams set four school records at the Atlantic 10 Championships. In 2002-03, the women's squad set nine school records with Katie Griener becoming the first Fordham woman to win an event at the Atlantic 10 Championships, winning the 500 freestyle in school record time. The women followed that season with eight school records in 2003-04 and two Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. In 2005-06, Fordham had three performers earned All-Atlantic 10 honors, including two swimmers who won two events at the championship in John Stoneburner (200 and 400 IM) and Erika Newell (100 and 200 backstroke). Last winter, Napoli also earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors in both the 100 back and the 200 butterfly while Ashley Ukleja took second place in the 1650 freestyle. Prior to his arrival at Rose Hill, Potsklan served as an assistant coach at Yale University for five seasons, helping that program regain Ivy League dominance. During his stint at Yale, the squad had a rapid rise from the bottom of the conference to Ivy League Champions. Potsklan has also served on the staffs at West Virginia and Penn State, coaching several NCAA and Senior Nationals finalists. He has also coached at the Omni Swim Club, Mountaineer Swim Club, and the Texas Longhorn and Alabama Swim Camps. He is currently the director of the SwimAmerica program which offers swim lessons for children and adults in the Fordham area. A 1985 graduate of Penn State, Potsklan went from a non-scholarship walk-on to the team's MVP, setting six school records and winning an Atlantic 10 title in the 100 freestyle in 1985. He also holds a Master's degree from West Virginia. Potsklan and his wife, artist Jacqueline Matute, have two children: Chloe Simone (12) and Emma Noel (9). |
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