Auburn Assistant Walden Takes Assistant Post at Louisville

David Walden, an assistant on the NCAA National Champion Auburn staff, has been hired as assistant swim coach at the University of Louisville, according to Head Coach Arthur Albiero.

"After an extensive national search, I am pleased to announce that David Walden will be joining our staff for the 2004-2005 seasons," said Albiero. "David brings great energy, work ethic, and a strong
desire to succeed. He understands the details behind a successful
program and I believe he is certainly one of the brightest young college coaches."

Walden spent last year at Auburn, where the Tigers won the Men's and Women's NCAA Division I National Championship. His responsibilities included scouting and recruiting of high school athletes, arranging recruiting visits, on-deck coaching with all strokes and distances, using a variety of video analysis techniques and conducting promotional activities with the marking department.

Prior to his stay at Auburn, Walden was an assistant coach at the English Institute of Sports in Loughborough University. There, he worked with World Champion medalist James Gibson and Zoe Baker and coached his first athlete onto the British National Team. The swimmer, Emma Collins, competed in the Open Water World Cub Circuit for the 5km.

"He has worked with a wealth of world class athletes and coaches over his coaching career, and his experience and background along with his outgoing personality are a perfect fit with our program," said Albiero, whose squad set 19 school records during his first year as skipper.

An accomplished swimmer himself, Walden was a competitive swimmer for 14 years and qualified each year for the National Championships since he was 14 years of age. He competed at the European Trials in 1995 and 1997, the Olympic Trials in 1996 and the Commonwealth Trials in 1998. At Henderson State University, he competed at the NCAA Division II National Swimming Championships in Buffalo, NY. where he was chosen as an All-America in 1999.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work at the University of Louisville. The Athletics Department is moving in the right direction with the hiring of young and experienced coaches as well as the building of new facilities and the start of a new competitive era in the Big East Conference. After meeting with Coach Albiero and seeing his enthusiasm and passion for the sport and the University of Louisville I knew this was the place I wanted to be."

Walden, who is pursuing his MBA at Auburn, has additional business experience after working a year at Korn/Ferry International in London, where he was a research analyst specializing in retail and consumer practice.

"I hope to bring with me the knowledge I have gained from working with a successful swimming program at Auburn University and coaching with David Marsh and his staff to add value and bring results to the Cardinal Swimming and Diving team," said Walden.

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