New University of Arizona head coach Augie Busch has brought in another big-name Arizona swimming alum as the next cog in his new staff: two-time Olympic gold medalist Beth Botsford.
Botsford was an age group phenom with North Baltimore in the 1990s, eventually winning Olympic gold in the 100 back and 4×100 medley relay at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta at the age of 15. She would go on to swim for the University of Arizona, winning 6 national titles, racking up 16 All-America awards and breaking American and U.S. Open records.
Botsford previously coached at the University of Wisconsin, but moved from that role to coaching the Waunakee Wave swim school in Madison, Wisconsin. Botsford’s college swimming days were under the staff of Frank Busch, father of Augie Busch and currently USA Swimming’s National Team Director.
That leaves just two openings left on Augie Busch‘s new staff in Tucson. He brought two former Virginia assistants – his younger brother Sam Busch and Arizona swimming alum Cory Chitwood – along with him. Those three and Botsford will fill four of six coaching spots, leaving one more assistant job and a spot for a diving coach. Arizona’s website only lists Augie Busch for now, but the other three assistants have been widely reported, including this week in the Arizona Daily Star.
I am almost certain the diving coach will stay… two incoming divers that just went rob worlds have followed him. I’ll be shocked if he’s replaced. He’s a marvelous diving coach.
They need a sprint coach!
Clif Robbins is going with Augie as well. He’s been with him since Houston
And yet there is still no mention of him. He’s only the best assistant Augie has!
Agreed! Not sure why that is.
Really sad to hear Coach Robbins is moving. My son attended the Cavalier Swim camp this past June and in one week the Cavalier coaches helped him make adjustment to his technique and mindset that he not only made the qualifying time for our LSC’s Long Course Cahmpionship he made his goal of getting under 6:00 minutes. My son was looking forward to attending next year he will be dissapointed but we are open to flying to AZ if Robbins host a camp there.
Just devastating for those incoming freshman at UVA.
Agreed, those UVA freshmen are probably feeling a “bait and switch”. 🙁
It will all be OK. Believe me. They will be better off with what is likely to be a much more positive environment.
Congrats to Augie Busch (and his new hires)! Good luck with the Wildcat swim program.
For those of you who are curious about the other “Augie Busch” (who curiously enough was a student at the University of Arizona back in the 1980s), here’s a story that got him in the news recently,
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/07/11/august-busch-iv-ex-ceo-anheuser-busch-arrested-for-trying-to-fly-helicopter-while-intoxicated.html