Stefanie Williams Moreno and Neil Versfeld Eager to Carry On Georgia Tradition

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Stefanie Williams Moreno and Neil Versfeld Eager to Carry On Georgia Tradition

Following the announcement of Jack Bauerle’s retirement as head coach at the University of Georgia, Stefanie Williams Moreno and Neil Versfeld were chosen to guide the Bulldogs into the future, Williams Moreno in charge of the women’s program and Versfeld at the helm of the men’s program. Both of these new leaders swam at UGA for four years of college and served under Bauerle as assistant coaches.

The women’s head coach, Williams Moreno has been coaching for the Dawgs for 10 years. She was a 28-time All-American and four-time national champion for Georgia. Before returning to Athens, Williams Moreno spent four years with the Ohio State women’s team, including serving in 2011-12 as associate head coach. She was an assistant coach for the Missouri men and women for three years. Prior to her promotion, she was in her fourth season as Associate Head Coach, which followed six years as an assistant. She worked primarily with the backstroke and middle distance groups.

“No one loves this program more than I do,” Williams Moreno said. “I want to be a strong female role in every swimmer’s life, whether they are female or male. My biggest goal is to give confidence to this team so that we move together as a unit. Swimming is not a (fogiving) sport. Between the wet hair and chlorine, it is important to make fun opportunities and carve out time to have fun. That’s how people reach goals.”

Additionally, Williams Moreno has taken part in a summit designed for female swim coaches. It was an opportunity for the coaches to share knowledge and turn to one another for advice. The summit brought together coaches from schools such as Yale, Stanford, UCLA, Kansas, Cincinnati, Tulane, Columbia, Duke and Penn State.

“This has been such a great opportunity to share experiences,” Williams Moreno said. “It’s great to have women from all over the country come together as one and hangout and talk.”

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Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Versfeld has been coaching for the Dawgs since 2019, after previously coaching at UGA’s rival, Georgia Tech. Originally from South Africa, he was a member of the pro team in Athens and coached for Swim Atlanta in 2015. An Olympian and NCAA champion, Versfeld is intent on maintaining the rich tradition developed by Bauerle.

“I want to continue Jack’s legacy with what he has done with producing many Olympic (medalists),” Versfeld said. “I want the best for every single one of the swimmers.”

Demonstrating an understanding of the program’s tight-knit nature, Versfeld mentioned how impressed and excited he was for Nic Fink, another product of Georgia who recently won four medals at the FINA World Championships. Fink claimed gold in the 50 breaststroke and as a member of the American mixed medley relay.

“Fink has been tinkering with getting medals on the (world) stage,” Versfeld said. “To get multiple medals in Budapest is hard to do and I could not be more excited for him.”

Both Williams Moreno and Versfeld discussed how they are preparing for the upcoming United States Nationals in Irvine, California. That competition is scheduled for the last week of July.

“We have a smaller group here in Athens right now, but the training schedule is more intensive,” Versfeld said. “Our main workout is in morning, but our group is able to dive in (throughout the day) since it is the summertime. Facing burnout can be hard, but our swimmers do such a great job with balancing school and swim at the same time.”

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DAkota Council
DAkota Council
1 year ago

Nice report

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