Brackin Heads off to Texas

AUSTIN, Texas. April, 20. KIM Brackin, former co-head women's coach at national swimming powerhouse Auburn University where she directed the Tigers to NCAA team titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, has been named Texas women's swimming and diving head coach. The announcement was made Thursday by Christine Plonsky, University of Texas Women's Athletics Director.

Brackin, 36, was awarded a four-year contract. She officially begins her UT position on May 5, 2006.

Brackin coached at Auburn University from 1997-2005, working daily with both the men's and women's swimming programs. While at Auburn, she was part of seven NCAA Championships – three by the Tiger women and four by the Tiger men's swim squad (2000, 2003-05). In the last three years at Auburn, she served as women's co-head coach. Since Brackin's arrival as an assistant, the women's team progressively improved, moving from an 11th-place NCAA finish in 1999 to the Tigers' first-ever women's NCAA Championship in 2002. With Brackin as women's co-head coach, the Tigers repeated as NCAA national champions in 2003 and 2004 and placed second nationally in 2005. Additionally, Auburn earned three straight SEC titles from 2003-05. Brackin was the 2002 NCAA Women's Swimming Co-Head Coach of the Year and the 2003 SEC Swimming Co-Head Coach of the Year.

Prior to serving as the Tigers' women's co-head coach, Kim was an Auburn assistant in both the men's and women's swim programs from 1997-2000 before being named assistant head women's coach (2000-03).

"We are delighted to have Kim join our staff. She brings championship experience, a high level of energy and impressive credentials to this job," noted Plonsky. "She built the women's program at Auburn and she did it with integrity and with quality people. She knows the environment we live in and the high goals set. Many, many individuals have validated the high qualities that Kim displayed during our search and interview process.

"Kim is a winner who has recruited and trained elite student-athletes who have maximized their performances in championship efforts, and she has done it with passion and connection to her athletes, important characteristics when coaching this age-group population. There is a strong platform here for continued success in our women's swimming and diving team, and we feel very positive about the future of our program," Plonsky concluded.

"I am thrilled that The University of Texas administration is confident that I can lead the women's swimming program to the highest levels possible, both athletically and academically," stated Brackin. "During the interview process, they presented me with high goals to meet, and I am excited for the opportunity. My hope is to follow in the footsteps of (baseball coach) Augie Garrido, (football coach) Mack Brown and (women's track and field coach) Bev Kearney – those who have led Texas to its most recent national championships."

Since January of 2006, Brackin has worked with USA Swimming in its DartSwim eCoach program, which is an innovative video technique analysis service. Provided exclusively by DartSwim, eCoach allows swimmers to have video of their technique analyzed by some of the top coaches in the United States.

Known for her extensive international coaching experience, Brackin has mentored five Olympians (winners of three medals), seven World Championship swimmers (winning nine medals, including four gold) and 12 World University Games swimmers (who earned 15 medals, including six gold and five silver).

She served as the head swimming coach for Zimbabwe in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the 2005 World Championships. Heading a two-member team, Brackin helped bring the South African nation its first Olympic swimming medal as former Auburn great Kirsty Coventry, a native of Harare, Zimbabwe, captured three Olympic medals. Brackin also was the head coach for Panama at the 2003 World Championships. As a member of the USA Swimming coaching staff, she was an assistant coach for the 2003 World University Games in Dague, Korea, the head assistant women's coach for the 2002 US National Junior Team, and a National Select Camp coach (2002).

While at Auburn, Brackin coached some of the top swimmers in the world, including Coventry, the 2004 Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist and two-time world champion; Maggie Bowen, former world champion and former American record holder in the 200 IM; and Margaret Hoelzer, 2003 and 2005 World Championship silver medalist. Her Auburn swimmers earned 13 individual and five relay titles at the NCAAs, earned four SEC Swimmer of the Year awards and 54 SEC swimming crowns. Academically, her athletes claimed one CoSIDA Academic All-America award, eight Swimming Coaches Association of America All-Academic honors and 76 SEC Academic Honor Roll awards.

Prior to Auburn, Brackin was assistant women's swim coach at Northwestern University for two years (1994-96) and also served as men's and women's assistant swim coach at Davidson College (1992-93) and Ithaca College (1991-92).

Brackin received her B.A. in psychology from The University of Albany in 1991 where she swam for four years under her maiden name (Kim McDonald). She then received her master's degree in physical education with concentration in sport psychology from Springfield (Mass.) College in June of 1993.

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