The Cincinnati Bearcats have appointed two-time Ohio State All-America swimmer Steven Zimmerman and former Cincinnati swimmer Joey Ferreri as new assistant coaches for their men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs. They will also bring back 2010 NCAA 50 free champion Josh Schneider as a volunteer assistant.
For both Zimmerman and Ferreri, this will be their first full-time coaching roles, though each spent last year as NCAA volunteers for their respective alma maters. Zimmerman spent last season as an undergraduate assistant at Ohio State while finishing his degree, and Ferreri is being promoted from volunteer assistant at Cincinnati last season while he began working on a master’s degree in marketing from Cincinnati.
They will join a very young coaching staff under 3rd-year head coach Mandy Commons-DiSalle. Among 4 full-time assistant or diving coaches on her staff (including returning assistant Pieter Ritz and second-year diving coach Kirtley Krombholz), there is a combined 2 years of full-time college coaching experience. Commons-DiSalle, meanwhile, is entering her 8th year with Cincinnati (the prior 5 as an assistant). She also spent 3 years as an assistant at Toledo while earning her MBA.
What the staff lacks in experience, however, they make up for in Ohio ties. Commons-DiSalle has now been at Cincinnati for nearly a decade, while Ferreri, Schneider, and Ritz all swam collegiately in the state of Ohio, and Krombholz was also a four-year letter winner at Cincinnati.
Full press release from Cincinnati Athletics is below, unedited.
CINCINNATI — University of Cincinnati swimming and diving coach Mandy Commons-DiSalle has announced additions to her coaching staff for the 2016-17 season. Former Bearcats swimmer Joey Ferreri and Steven Zimmerman, a two-time All-America swimmer at Ohio State, will both serve as assistant coaches, while UC alumnus and NCAA champion Josh Schneider will remain on staff as volunteer assistant coach.
Ferreri spent the 2015-16 season as a student assistant at his alma mater, staying at UC following his swimming career with the Bearcats. Ferreri predominately swam distance freestyle and individual medley, reaching the championship heat of a finals event at the American Athletic Conference Championships three times. As a team captain in 2014-15, he placed eighth in the 200 fly in 2015, following up a 2014 league meet which saw him place fourth in the mile and eighth in the 400 individual medley. The Mission Viejo, California, native and product of Capistrano Valley High School graduated from UC in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration/marketing and a minor in sport administration. He is currently pursuing a master’s in marketing from UC. During his season as a volunteer assistant, the Bearcats collected five conference titles and set 11 school records with 14 NCAA B-Cut times.
“I am excited to have Joey join our staff,” Commons-DiSalle said. “His transition into coaching has already made an impact on our program and I am looking forward to the experience and knowledge he brings our distance program.”
Zimmerman comes to Cincinnati following an outstanding collegiate career at Ohio State. The Morrow, Ohio, native swam backstroke and individual medley events for the Buckeyes. He qualified for the NCAA Championships three times, earning a pair of All-America designations during his 2014-15 season. He twice earned All-Big Ten honors, while qualifying for the championship heat at the conference championships on seven occasions. He capped his career as the school record holder in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 individual medley and 400 meter relay. Zimmerman spent the 2015-16 season as an undergraduate assistant with the Buckeyes. The Little Miami High School product graduated from Ohio State in 2016 with a degree in human nutrition science.
“I’m very eager to bring Steven on board with the Bearcats,” said Commons-DiSalle. “He brings a great deal of experience as an athlete and his passion for learning and developing as a coach will certainly be fostered here as our program grows.”
Schneider served as an assistant coach during the 2015-16 season, while continuing to swim competitively. He helped the Bearcats earn five individual conference titles last season, along with 11 school records and 34 new entries into the program’s all-time top-10 times. The 2010 national champion in the 50 freestyle and still the school record holder in four individual events, Schneider is currently competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials in an attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Commons-DiSalle will be in her third season at the helm of the UC program in 2016-17. In addition to Ferreri, Zimmerman and Schneider, assistant coach Pieter Ritz and diving coach Kirtley Krombholz will be returning, each in their second season.
Bold move Cotton
Let’s see how it works out for them