Sept. 29, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame men’s swimming head coach Tim Welsh was named president of the American Swimming Coaches Association, it was announced recently by the organization.
The American Swimming Coaches Association is a professional service organization based on a central theme of “Leadership in American Swimming through Education, Certification, and Cooperation.” The group is dedicated to creating and enhancing progressive and highly visible programs that are effective in strengthening and improving the coaching profession while building a stronger swimming community.
“I am very humbled and excited at the same time. This is an organization that I’m proud to serve, and it’s the first professional organization I ever joined,” Welsh said.
The American Swimming Coaches Association works closely with the other swimming-related organizations, including the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA), College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), USA Swimming, YMCA and the NCAA.
Welsh was honored in May with the CSCAA’s Distinguished Service Award for his 35 years of service in college coaching and is the organization’s Division I men’s representative on its Board of Directors.
A 1966 graduate of Providence College, Welsh has served as a head coach in the collegiate ranks for the past 32 seasons – Johns Hopkins (eight years) and Notre Dame (24 years) – after previously serving as an assistant coach at Syracuse. He has accumulated a 416-250-1 (.624) record, including a 294-160 (.648) mark since joining the Irish in 1985. For the first 10 seasons at Notre Dame, Welsh served as both men’s and women’s coach, before heading up just the men’s program in 1996. He had a 93-51 (.646) record as the women’s head coach and has compiled a 201-109 (.648) mark as head coach of the Irish men.
Over the span of his head-coaching career he has helped lead his teams to two national championships, coming in 1978 and ’79 with Division III Johns Hopkins. He has also led his teams to a total of 31 conference championships (Midwestern Collegiate – 15, Middle Atlantic – nine, BIG EAST – four, Eastern Intercollegiate – two, North Star – one).
Since joining the BIG EAST conference, Welsh has helped lead his team to a top four spot in the BIG EAST Championships in each of the last 12 seasons, including capturing the conference crown in the ’05, ’06, ’08 and ’09 and finishing runner-up in ’99, ’00, ’04 and ’07.
Welsh has also received personal accolades as well during his years as head coach, including being named Division III National Coach of the Year (’79) as well as BIG EAST Coach of the Year on four occasions (’99, ’04, ’05, ’08).
–ND–