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The 2009-10 season will mark the second for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee head coach Erica Janssen. She made quite a lasting first impression a year ago, as her teams combined to lower school records on 57 different occasions over the course of the season, eventually establishing four new Horizon League records, 27 school records (14 women's/13 men's) and 15 freshmen standards (seven women's/eight men's) after all was said and done during the year. On the women's side, Janssen coached the Horizon League's Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year in sophomore Danielle Wenger, and also had the Horizon league Co-Diver's of the Meet - senior Ashley Hall and sophomore Kelsey George - on her roster. The Panthers finished the season with a dual meet record of 13-3 to set a school record with 13 victories, topping the former mark of 11 set in 1991-92. Included in that was a stretch of 13-consecutive wins (not losing from Oct. 31 through Feb. 7 of the regular season) - to tie the program mark. She then led the team to a second-place finish at the Horizon League Championships. On the men's side, she led the team to a solid third-place finish, trailing second by 40 and first place by less than 60 points with its best point total as a team since 2000. The men finished 10-5 in dual meets on the year, the most victories as a team since the 1995-96 campaign. Janssen had spent the previous two years as the top assistant coach for the Milwaukee swimming & diving teams, helping the Panthers begin to rewrite the record book. School records were broken 33 times during that stretch, with Janssen helping lead the women to their best finish at the league championships since 2001 and the men to their best showing since 2000. "This is an incredible opportunity for me here at UWM," Janssen said. "A lot of work has been put in over my first two years in changing the culture of the swimming & diving program at UWM and improving our finishes at the league championships. For the student-athletes, not that much changes. There will be a smooth transition - just the face of the program will change - philosophy, direction, all of that is going to stay the same. [Former head coach] Dave (Griffore) and I worked together on every decision and now that will just fall on me, not both of us." The program made great strides over the first two seasons with Janssen on the staff. Two years ago, the women finished third at the league championships and the men also placed third for the second-straight season after three-consecutive fifth-place showings. The women set 12 new school records and the men five. Janssen also had a hand in helping Chase Gravengood qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials. "It is great to have a seamless transition in the leadership of our swimming and diving programs for this coming season," UWM Athletic Director Bud Haidet said. "Erica has already had a major impact on the growing success of our teams over the last couple of years and she has a bright future ahead of her. A solid foundation has been laid down the past two seasons and we want to keep the momentum in our swimming and diving programs going in the right direction." In 2006-07, she helped lead UWM to numerous achievements as a first-year assistant. In addition to a runner-up finish on the women's side at the Horizon League Championships - where the team recorded its highest-ever point total - she helped the men to their best finish since 2000. The women broke 11 school or league records and earned 12 Horizon League Swimmer or Diver of the Week awards. Their 6-3 dual record included six-straight victories and marked the team's best winning percentage since going 8-4 during the 1997-98 season. In addition to placing third at the league championships, the men broke four school records and recorded a 5-4 dual record. It gave the squad a winning dual record for the first time since going 7-4 in the 1998-99 campaign. They also enjoyed their first five-dual winning streak since the 1999-2000 season. Janssen takes control of a unique situation given her age and gender. She will be one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA Division I as well as one of the few women at this level to be coaching a men's team. Janssen came to UWM from Ball State, where she spent one season as the graduate assistant coach for the Cardinals while finishing up her master's degree in sports administration. She was at UW-Stevens Point prior to that, where she was a four-year letterwinner for the Pointers from 2000-04 and served as a volunteer assistant for the program for one season after her swimming career was over. While at UWSP, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and coaching. In addition to serving as a volunteer assistant at her college alma mater, Janssen was also a volunteer coach at her high school alma mater, Oshkosh West. Additionally, she spent three years coaching the Stevens Point Area YMCA Swim Team. Janssen was a five-time All-America selection, four-year NCAA qualifier and an academic all-conference honoree in the pool for the Pointers. A team captain as a junior and senior, she helped guide the program to the WIAC title in 2001. A four-time conference relay champion, she earned all-league honors eight times. During the 2000-01 season, Janssen swam the third leg for the 200 freestyle relay team that broke the school record with a clocking of 1:36.85. |
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