Worlds Medalist Margo Geer Moves from IU to Alabama with Coley Stickels

Multi-time FINA World Championships medalist Margo Geer is part of the group of swimmers to follow former Indiana University associate head sprint coach Coley Stickels to the University of Alabama, as he was named the program’s new head coach in April following Dennis Pursley‘s retirement.

Geer, 27, swam collegiately for the University of Arizona under Eric Hansen from 2010-2014 and was a three-time NCAA champion individually.

At Olympic Trials in 2012, she finished seventh in 50 free and 12th in the 100. In 2015, she made her first Worlds team as a member of the 2015 4×100 free relay, and then was put on the both the mixed 4×100 free and medley relays; the former finished first in finals in world record fashion. Geer also swam prelims of the women’s 4×100 medley relay.

She moved to Bloomington to train under Stickels in IU’s post-grad group in 2017. The decorated IU team includes professionals Blake PieroniCody MillerZane Grothe and Annie Lazor, as well as recent graduates Lilly KingZach Apple, and Vini Lanza, among others.

Last summer at the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, Geer finished third in the 50 and 100 free, qualifying for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. In Tokyo, she finished third in the B-final of the 100 free and went second on Team USA’s silver medal 4×100 free relay.

As of now, we know the group moving to Alabama with Stickels includes Olympians Ryan Held and Ali Khalafalla, as well as Geer. That sprint training group will also include post-grad Laurent Bams and rising senior Zane Waddell.

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Seans
5 years ago

Confirmed – 22.1/48.6 sprinter Robert Howard following Jonty to Indiana

Gorb
Reply to  Seans
5 years ago

Who is Robert Howard?

Togger
5 years ago

Did Apple train with Coley? Presumably wouldn’t be a huge deal for him to move back to (the state of) Alabama if he wanted to.

If he did it would leave just Lanza and Pieroni as sprinter, non-breastroke pros, but they both seem to be pretty settled in Bloomington.

Seans
Reply to  Togger
5 years ago

Apple trains with Mike Westphal, along with Blake Pieroni.
They never train with Coley.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Togger
5 years ago

Yeah, never a problem to go from, say, Auburn to Bama. Provided you never go within 50 miles of Auburn in your remaining lifetime.

dmswim
5 years ago

These IU and Alabama post-grads should set up a housing exchange since they are basically all switching places following their coaches.

Superfan
5 years ago

Did Coley hire any assistants yet?

Swammer
5 years ago

Word on the street was right.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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