University of Alabama junior Julia Wolf has entered the NCAA transfer portal for the second time after 3 semesters competing for the Crimson Tide.
Wolf originally followed her coach Coley Stickels to Alabama after Stickels was named the head coach there before the 2019-2020 season. Wolf has been training with Stickels since she was 16 and training with the Canyons Aquatic Club.
Wolf achieved her first World Championship Trials cut in 2017, and when he took a job as an assistant at Indiana that year, she too moved to Bloomington to finish her high school career.
After starting her college career at Indiana training under Stickels, she transferred to Alabama in the summer of 2019 when Stickels became head coach.
After 5 years, Wolf felt it was just time for a change, according to her dad Jay. Julia Wolf is done competing for the Crimson Tide, though she will remain in Tuscaloosa for the spring semester. Her dad says that she may enroll in her new school and take classes remotely, but that the academic plan isn’t yet set in stone. Because of NCAA waivers related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, she will have 2 years of eligibility remaining.
As a freshman, Wolf qualified for the NCAA Championship meet as a member of their 23rd-place 200 free relay team, where she split 22.86 on a leadoff leg.
As a sophomore, she anchored Alabama’s 200 free relay with a split of 22.12. That was the relay’s 2nd-fastest split behind only fellow sophomore Morgan Scott, who also followed Stickels from Indiana to Alabama. That relay was qualified for the NCAA Championships, which were eventually canceled.
Wolf placed 21st individually at the SEC Championships in the 100 free (49.17) to score 4 points for the Crimson Tide and 33rd individually in the 50 free (22.74).
Julia Wolf‘s Times Progression Throughout Her Career:
| High School Best | Freshman Season | Sophomore Season |
Junior Season (Semester)
|
|
| Indiana | Alabama | Alabama | ||
| 50 free | 22.53* | 22.53* | 22.56 | 23.45 |
| 100 free | 49.74 | 49.35 | 48.98* | 50.91 |
| 100 back | 56.81 | 58.73 | 56.56* | — |
* – Asterisk indicates lifetime best.
Believe she is headed to UMiami per her IG announcement.
I haven’t followed this until now and don’t know the individuals involved, but I was involved in swimming for a long time. These behaviors seem a little odd to me and remind me of some stories I’ve read in the past where red flags were raised – I hope there was an appropriate athlete/coach relationship here.
@davids that’s a pretty awful insinuation on a situation you admit to knowing nothing about. There’s no reason to ignorantly post that unless you are trying to create a rumor. Maybe it was an innocent comment, but we face enough real challenges in all sports to not create more through ignorant rumors.
I think it’s more a comment on the past problems with some coaches and athletes. Sad to say, but I had that thought for a flicker, too when I saw she moved to Indiana when he became an asst. coach at IU.
David and MarkB it is highly inappropriate for you to make such comments in a public forum that are damaging to someone’s personal and professional life when you have to insight to a situation.
I have also worked for Coley at Lake Oswego and unlike what Buck says never saw the behavior that he is insinuating.
These defaming comments should be taken down, Braden.
What ever happened to Zane Waddell? I heard he left/quit too
He retired and is focusing on his career now!
just curious… does she have to sit out a year or does this year count as her year to sit out because of covid?
I don’t think so unless she goes to another in conference (sec) school. I’m not positive though
Haha I get it
Glad to see someone finally realized how toxic Coley Stickels is
Do not know Coley, read a lot of people saying toxic, can someone be more precis in what they mean?
I know him and have observed him coaching and I think saying “toxic” is unfair, and this is coming from somebody from Indiana. He’s intense and wound a little tightly sometimes, but he’s smart, creative and knows what he’s doing, especially with sprinters. I think he’s a bright young coach.
Guerra the voice of reason! 2020 been crazy
Hahahha Guerra obviously you haven’t seen Coley on deck at Alabama yet. How is yelling racist and fat jokes at your swimmers not “toxic.” You should ask swimmers on the team if they like him. 100% of people hate him and want him gone. Ruined culture at Alabama. As Coley first said in his first meeting with the team, “F*%€ your culture.”
You are completely off base. Obviously, you don’t like him but to say sweeping generalizations shows your immaturity. There may be a group of left over swimmers from the previous regime who are not really interested in being the best they can be and for whom killer workouts are not in their DNA. I can assure you this transfer has nothing to do with a flaw in Coley’s coaching ability or style. Sadly, you will take any circumstance to trash him.
Doug,
We all know who you really are. Killer workouts??? Anybody that swam here remembers Denny’s gigantic Threshold sets that everyone had to do together twice weekly. I hated them at the time, but realize now their purpose- a) to make us tough and give us the feeling of accomplishment that is needed b/f standing up on the blocks to race at SEC’s, b) bring us as a team together and build a culture, c) knowledge/knowing that we can accomplish anything through adversity.
I actually missed these sets last year and see their utility. Coley does not understand or even have the aptitude to grasp what a team is, and how to build a culture that can bring… Read more »
You need to be a fly on the wall here then. He does and says plenty that would warrant any normal person to be fired. He is a train wreck and we all know it. I was here when Denny was still here, and have a new love and respect for him both as a head coach, but more importantly as a human being. Too bad our administration are all bumbling idiots to know the difference.
I worked under Coley a long time ago in Oregon. He is a very smart, innovative coach. However, it comes with a price that swimmers out of his favor should not have to pay. Enough said. Read other stuff that folks have posted – spot on.
Julia has been swimming under Coley for five years now. If she felt he was a “toxic” coach, she would have switched clubs or transferred schools earlier. Sometimes, you just need a change to spice things up and shock the body with different kinds of training and a fresh set of eyes. Best of luck to Julia!
I thought the general consensus was that SwimSwam liked Coley Stickels? Has that changed? I’d never heard anything bad about him before
I think he drove away the Alabama swimmers that were already there when he arrived. He burned the house down so he could rebuild quicker. I think that’s the only group upset with him.
Julia, it’s time to come back to Indiana University and swim for the GOAT, Ray Looze. #loverayloozegoatcoach, #honorrayloozegoatcoach, #cherishrayloozegoatcoach
Folks, don’t even bother downvoting him. He obviously loves the attention.
Goat coach?
https://youtu.be/uSgU-NAcgf4
#respectrayloozegoatcoach
Cierra Runge rule?