Andy Robins has been named to the staff as an assistant coach by Georgia Tech head swimming & diving coach Courtney Shealy Hart. Robins begins on Monday, May 11 and will coach the Yellow Jacket sprinters.<\/p>\n
He replaces Eric Stefanski, who left Tech to pursue interests outside of collegiate coaching. A former Florida State assistant coach that spent 19 years with the Seminoles, Robins comes to the Flats with an impressive resume of coaching some of the best sprinters in ACC history.<\/p>\n
“I am thrilled to have Andy join our staff at Georgia Tech,” said Hart. “He possesses a wealth of experience in collegiate swimming at the highest level and will provide valuable knowledge to the swimmers and staff. He is a veteran of the ACC and his connections in the Southeast are crucial as we continue to attract championship-caliber student-athletes to our program.<\/p>\n
“I also want to express my gratitude to Eric for his contributions to our program in his two years on the staff. We will miss him and I wish him the best of luck.”<\/p>\n
In a career that spans nearly two decades, Robins has directed the training of 43 ACC champions, 46 NCAA qualifiers and 26 All-Americans. He began his career at FSU in 1995 and was promoted to associate head in 2002.<\/p>\n
“I’m excited about the opportunity,” said Robins. “Georgia Tech has so much to offer. It has world-class academics, a fantastic athletic department, an Olympic swimming & diving facility, all in a tremendous city. I’m looking forward to becoming a part of a great staff and helping our student-athletes achieve big things.”<\/p>\n
Most recently, Paul Murray set a new ACC record in the 50 free of 19.04 while capturing gold in 2014. That same year, Tiffany Oliver became the first Seminole in history to defend her ACC sprinting titles. Murray went on to place seventh in the event garnering All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Under Robins, Oliver became the first FSU female to break the 49 second mark in the 100 free as she turned in a time of 48.93 en route to an NCAA appearance.<\/p>\n
He graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1983 with a degree in psychology and received a master’s degree in science education from Florida State in 1987. While in college, Robins swam both the backstroke and distance freestyle events. His swimming accomplishments at William & Mary include setting the school record in the 1650 freestyle while also serving as co-captain.<\/p>\n
His association with swimming in the Tallahassee-area began in 1985 when he took a position with the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club. Robins took over the head coaching duties for ATAC in 1993 and led the squad to a top 10 finish at the 1996 Junior National Championships.<\/p>\n
He also served as the head coach at Leon High School in Tallahassee from 1986-91. After only his second year on the job he was named High School Coach of the Year by the Tallahassee Democrat.<\/p>\n
Robins and his wife Karen have three daughters and one son, Beth, Kurt, Jenna, and Annemarie.<\/p>\n