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Eric Stefanski had a successful first year as the sprint coach of the Carolina swimming program. Three of his swimmers achieved All-ACC Honors at the 2008 ACC Championships. Freshman Tommy Wyher took first place in the 100 backstroke, senior Kelsey Morrissy finished second in the 100 free and freshman Rebecca Kane finished third in the 50 free. Morrissy qualified for NCAA Championships in the 100 & 200 Freestyles. Stefanski was part of the Carolina staff that sent 27 Tar Heels to Olympic Trials in June 2008.
During the summer of 2007, University of North Carolina head swimming coach Rich DeSelm added a fifth full-time member to his coaching staff at UNC with the hiring of Eric Stefanski as an assistant coach. Stefanski, a University of Pittsburgh alumnus, joins DeSelm, diving coach Kevin Lawrence and assistant and Mike Litzinger in comprising Carolina's largest full-time staff in the history of the program.
Stefanski is a former head coach at the University of Rochester and assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. He was a conference coach of the year winner in 2003 and was a member of the USA Swimming race analysis team. He brings a varied background of accomplishments to his job at UNC.
Stefanski coaches the sprint group at Carolina and oversees meet management while being one of Carolina's chief recruiters.
"We are thrilled to add Eric Stefanski to our coaching staff at North Carolina. Eric brings tremendous coaching knowledge and experience that will have an immediate impact on our program," DeSelm says. "His recruiting skills will enhance our efforts in that critical area and his additional background in sports psychology, video analysis, master's swimming and triathlon training will benefit all aspects of our aquatics program here at UNC," DeSelm explains.
Stefanski began his coaching career at the high school level in 1998 and started his college coaching tenure in 2002. Stefanski entered the field immediately after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998. He went on to merit a Master of Science degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports psychology at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., in 2002.
As a Panther student-athlete, Stefanski was an NCAA Division I Championships qualifier and a 1998 Big East individual champion. He was a two-year selection as the Pitt team's Most Valuable Performer while also captaining the team from 1995-98. In April 1998, Stefanski earned the University of Pittsburgh's Senior of Distinction Award from the athletic department. Individually, he qualified and competed in four events at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Most recently Stefanski coached at his alma mater, Pitt, as assistant coach and coordinator of men's recruiting from 2004-2007. For one season, 2003-04, he garnered head coaching credentials at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) where he simultaneously served as aquatics director. Stefanski had been an assistant coach at the U of R for one season after arriving in 2002. While at the U. of R., he was also the head master's swimming coach.
While at Pittsburgh, he coached two women's NCAA qualifiers, five Big East Conference individual champions, and seven U.S. Swimming National Championships qualifiers. At the University of Rochester, he was the UAA Conference Women's Coach of the Year in 2003-04 as his team improved four spots in the conference meet from seventh to third. Stefanski had a freshman swimmer qualify in two individual events for the 2004 Division III National Championships.
While earning his master's degree, Stefanski was a teaching assistant at GSU from 2000-02 while at the same time bulking up his experience level with a two-year gig as swimming coach of the Statesboro Bulloch County Sharks. Prior to going to Georgia Southern, he served a two-year coaching stint at the Seneca Valley Swim Club in Zelienople, Pa., and with the Seneca Valley School District.
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