10 Finalists for ASCA/F&F Age Group Coach of the Year Named

10 finalists have been named for the 2017 Age Group Coach of the Year, presented by Fitter & Faster Swim Tour, after online voting closed with over 60,000 votes. That’s almost 5-times as many as the 12,821 that were cast last year.

Of the 10 finalists, a winner will be announced as the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) Annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, August 31st at the Hilton in Washington, D.C. The event takes place during the ASCA World Clinic – a major coaching convention each year.

The final 10 are listed below in alphabetical order:

• Mark Bennett: Clovis Swim Club / CC (bronze)
• Sue Chen: Nations Capital Swim Club / PV (gold)
• Tommy Cunningham: King Aquatics / PN (silver)
• Carle Fierro: Westchester Swim Club / MR (bronze)
• Rob Hansen: Irvine Novaquatics / CA (silver)
• Nancy Hooper: Tidal Waves Swim Club / IL
• Jim Johnson: Brea Aquatics / CA
• Kate Lundsten: AquaJets Swim Club / MN (silver)
• Rob Norman: TAC Titans / NC (silver)
• Matt Pelletier: The Fish / PV (silver)

120 coaches were nominated for the award, and online voting was combined with the votes of the Age Group Nomination Committee to name the 10 finalists – who will be recognized at the awards ceremony. Only one coach that finished in the top 10 of the popular vote, Mark Bennett of the Clovis Swim Club in California, was selected as a top 10 finalist.

8 of the 10 coaches work for clubs that earned a medal in the USA Swimming Club Excellence Program, as noted above.

Top 10 On-Line Poll Vote Getters – Alphabetical order

• Mohamed Abdelaal: Scarlet Aquatic / NJ
• Blake Addison: TAC Titans / NC
• Mark Bennett: Clovis Swim Club / CC
• Tara Bolivar: Suburban Seahwaks Club / MA
• Kyle Bubolz: Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club / IL
• Nadine Harriott: Swim Florida / FL
• Hector Jimenez: Rose Bowl Aquatics / CA
• Jarrod Murphy: The Woodlands Swim Team / GU
• Rob Norman: TAC Titans / NC
• Richard Schoulberg: Plymouth Whitemarsh Aquatics / MA