William and Mary Hires Matt Crispino as Head Coach

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, September 20. WILLIAM and Mary Athletics Director Terry Driscoll announced the hiring of alumnus Matt Crispino '02 as the College's Director of Swimming and Diving today, subject to the approval of the College's Board of Visitors.

Crispino is the school's sixth director since the men's and women's teams were combined in the 1989-90 season, and replaces McGee Moody, who led the Tribe to the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association women's championship. Crispino is also the first W&M alumnus to head either swim team since Keith Havens from 1981 to 1984.

"We're very excited to have Matt join our coaching staff," Driscoll said. "His swimming career here at the College, and his coaching experience around the country clearly makes him a great fit for this program. Everyone here at William and Mary expects Matt to take the men's and women's swimming and diving teams to new heights as we move forward."

Crispino is returning to his alma mater after five years in the assistant coaching ranks. His most recent stop was at Colgate University for the 2006-07 season, where he served as the assistant coach for both men's and women's teams. Directly responsible for the sprint corps, Crispino saw his athletes race to 49 lifetime-best performances, including four school-records and one freshman record. Hitting the recruiting trails hard, Crispino helped the Red Raiders piece together a class of 17 that included two national-caliber swimmers.

Prior to Colgate, he spent three years on the deck at West Point as the assistant coach for both men and women, helping the former to a 23-12 record and a pair of second-place showings at the Patriot League Championships. In addition to his direct responsibilities for the sprint corps, Crispino also helped develop the dry-land and in-pool training regimens for the middle-distance and distance swimmers, leading the team to break 12 Academy and 13 plebe (freshman) records, and producing four U.S. National qualifiers and two NCAA "B" cuts. His 27 sprinters alone achieved 109 lifetime-best swims.

Crispino got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Florida State University, where he worked with several athletes who counted NCAA, U.S. National, and Olympic Trials bids among their accomplishments. Working with all training groups and swimmers on both the group and individual basis, he helped guide the Seminole men to a runner-up finish at the 2003 ACC Championships, while the women came in third. The teams combined to send seven athletes to the NCAA Championships that year.

Crispino has also worked at several of the nation's best-regarded swimming camps, including Skip Kenney's Stanford Swim Camp and the Navy Swimming Camp. While at West Point, he was the primary organizer for the Army Swimming Camp, and served as lead camp instructor for the 12-18 age group.

"I feel like I've come home," said Crispino. "This has always been a dream job of mine. It is an incredible honor and privilege to be able to coach here at William and Mary, and I hope we can continue to build on the team's success and establish a tradition of continuous accomplishment."

The captain and Most Valuable Swimmer of the 2001-02 Tribe men's swimming team, Crispino helped set the school record in the 800 free relay as a freshman at the CAA Championships, 6:47.85. In his rookie season, the team placed a program-best second at the conference meet after going 15-1 (6-0 CAA) during the regular season. Crispino still ranks among the all-time top-10 in the 100, 200, and 500 free, and is fifth all-time at the College in the 200 IM.

Crispino takes over a Tribe program fresh off of its best year in over a decade, as the women claimed the school's first conference swimming title with a record-tying 12 gold medals. Six-time conference champion Meredith David (Somerdale, N.J.) leads the women's squad that includes NCAA and Olympic Trials qualifier Katie Radloff (Arlington, Va.), the 2007 CAA Swimmer of the Year as a freshman, and sophomore Courtney Alles (Manassas Park, Va.), who earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors after sweeping the 200 and 400 IM titles. The men posted their first winning record since the 1998-99 season with a 6-3-1 (4-2-1 CAA) ledger, and finished fourth at the conference championships, the highest W&M finish since taking fourth in 2002. Sophomore Jason Brisson (Richmond, Va.) earned silver medals in both the 100 and 200 breast, and classmate Shawn Matthews (Rumson, N.J.) was the bronze medalist in both the 500 free and 200 back.

Special thanks to William and Mary for contributing this report.

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