While swim meets on hold worldwide right now due to the effects of COVID-19, and practices just getting underway for many teams, BSN Sports still wants to highlight and celebrate swim teams from around the country. This week’s team of the week is the Virginia Gators of Roanoke, Virginia. The Gators are a year-round USA Swimming team that has been recognized as one of the top clubs in the nation, ranking 9th in USA Swimming’s 2019 Club Excellence program.
According to the team website, the Gators describe their mission as being “committed to excellence through developing and challenging swimmers in a positive, nurturing environment for success in sport and life.” The Gators swim out of the Gator Aquatic Center, an eight-lane indoor facility in Roanoke.
Head coach Doug Fonder has a long track record in the sport, and currently serves as the President and CEO of the International Swim Coaches Association. He started the Gators in 1988, and since then the team has had success at multiple levels of the sport, from nurturing new swimmers to sending to swimmers to Olympic Trials every four years.
Recently, Gator alumni have been making a splash in the world of college swimming, despite the NCAA Championships been canceled this year. On the men’s side, Greg Reed was the leading individual scorer for the University of Georgia at this year’s SEC Championships, while NC State freshman Noah Bowers helped the Wolfpack to their 5th-straight ACC title. On the women’s side, NC State sophomore Emma Muzzy capture the ACC title in the 200 back, and Olivia Bray, one of the top recruits in the high school class of 2020, will be heading to the University of Texas next year.
With a long history of success behind them, the Virginia Gators look forward to continuing to develop swimmers at all levels, and setting them up for success in and out of the pool, for years to come.
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Go Gators!!!
Your profile of the Great Doug Fonder should go back farther than 1988. Prior to that, he coached numerous swimmers to NCAAs, Trials, etc. at Briarwood of Richmond Aquatic Club and, before that, at Quantico Devil Dolphins. A young Jeff Rouse swam under Coach Fonder in his formative years, but there are many, many swimmers who achieved great things under Doug.
Greg Burgess 92 silver medalist
Go gators!
Go Gators. Doug is a fantastic coach and has had many great swimmers over the years.