Georgia Hires Alex Braunfeld as an Assistant

ATHENS, Georgia, October 31. VETERAN coach Alex Braunfeld, who has spent nearly three decades at various swimming coaching levels, has been named an assistant coach for the Georgia swimming and diving teams, head coach Jack Bauerle announced Friday.

"We can't be more excited to have Alex as a part of our program,"
Bauerle said. "He and I have been friends for many years, and it is good timing for Alex and our program. Alex is one of the most accomplished and dedicated coaches I know. I feel fortunate to have him here. He's had many successful experiences in coaching."

Braunfeld spent last season at Florida State, where he coached the distance swimmers. He guided two student-athletes to All-America honors as well as one to the United States National Team. Prior to that, he spent the 2007 season with Bucknell, helping the women to a second-place finish and the men to a third-place finish in the Patriot League.

Braunfeld, however, is no stranger to the Athens area. He had two separate stints with the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta. His most recent run with Dynamo was from 1997-2005, where he coached five swimmers to the USA National Junior team in a four-year stretch and led three others to spots on the USA Pan Am Games team and the USA Goodwill Games squad.

Braunfeld also coached Dynamo from 1988-1991, leading the club to a Women's USA Senior National Championship and a combined USA Team Championship runner-up performance. He also guided Dynamo to three top five USA Senior National finishes.

In between his time with Dynamo, Braunfeld coached at the University of Michigan from 1992-1997. There, Braunfeld was an assistant in charge of recruiting and all dry-land and weight workouts for the Wolverines. While at Michigan, Braunfeld helped Michigan to four top-3 finishes at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by the team's national championship in 1995. In 1996, Braunfeld helped six Michigan swimmers qualify for the Atlanta Olympic Games.

Prior to his first stint with Dynamo, Braunfeld coached for the Dayton Raiders Swim Club in Dayton, Ohio, from 1981-87. While coaching at Dayton, Braunfeld was also an assistant with Wright State, coaching the men's and women's teams. Each year Braunfeld was with Wright State, the team finished in the top five of the Division II National Championships.

He also has extensive experience coaching five USA National Junior teams (1984, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 2004), two USA World University Games teams (1997 and 1999), a USA Pan Pacific Games squad in 1995, and two USA Swimming distance camps (1989 and 1990).

A former swimmer himself, Braunfeld graduated from Pittsburgh in 1973 and was a letterman with the swimming team.

Special thanks to Georgia for contributing this report.

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