Roric Fink has been announced as the new associate head coach of the men’s swimming & diving program at SMU, taking him back to the state of Texas after a two year stint at the University of Arizona. That will reunite him with Greg Rhodenbaugh: the pair’s fourth stint together.
Rhodenbaugh was a former team captain and assistant coach at Arizona; he and Fink overlapped together there when the program was one of the best in the NCAA in the 2000s.
Fink’s coaching career has ping-ponged back and forth between the two states for much of the last 20 years. He began his coaching endeavors with the Phoenix Swim Club from 1995 through 2000, eventually taking over Tucson-based Ford Aquatics in 2000.
He then joined the Arizona staff from 2003-2010, including working with Amanda Beard in the later part of her career. Beard, who was an assistant alongside Fink in his most recent Arizona stint, is expected to be retained on Ben Loorz’s new staff with the Wildcats after head coach Augie Busch was not renewed this season.
After two seasons at the University of Missouri, where Rhodenbaugh was the head coach at the time, Fink joined the women’s program at the University of Texas from 2012-2020 as associate head coach, his first stop in the Lone Star State.
After a break from swimming, he returned and spent the spring semester of the 2021-2022 season with SMU, his second link-up with Rhodenbaugh. He returned to a full-time position back at Arizona in the 2022-2023 season, and completed two full years there.
Roric Fink‘s Coaching Record
- 2024-current: SMU, Associate Head Coach
- 2022-2024: University of Arizona, Assistant Coach
- 2022: Southern Methodist University, Assistant Coach
- 2012-20: University of Texas, Associate Head Coach
- 2010-12: University of Missouri, Associate Head Coach
- 2003-10: University of Arizona, Assistant Coach
- 2000-03: Ford Aquatics
- 1995-2000: Phoenix Swim Club
SMU’s swimming staff now includes Fink and assistant coach Tom Colket. Keith Dawley, who had been an assistant with the program since 2018, is no longer listed on the team’s roster, though nothing has been reported about where his next role will be.
Fink will bolster an SMU program that heads into uncharted waters next season as it joins the ACC Conference. There they will face a significant step-up in competition after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship last year. Prior to that, they had basically been competing in a dual meet with the Cincinnati men in the AAC.
ACC programs NC State (#5), Virginia Tech (#9), Notre Dame (#10), Louisville (#17), and Virginia (#17) all finished ahead of SMU (#18) at last year’s NCAA Championship meet. Florida State (#21), Pitt (#24), Miami (#26), UNC (#33) also placed ahead of SMU.
#2 Cal and #8 Stanford will also join the ACC next season, creating arguably the most-competitive conference in the NCAA as the Power 5 condenses to a Power 4.
The Mustangs’ top scorer from last season’s ASUN Championship Jack Hoagland has his 5th year of COVID-19 eligibility remaining. Two of the team’s best five, are all out of eligibility after competed as 5th year’s last season. They have a good incoming freshman class, though, and a notable incoming transfer in British freestyler Michael Ripper who has long course bests of 50.67 in the 100 free and 1:51.14 in the 200 free. They also bring in freshman diver Luke Sitz, who finished 4th on 3-meter at last week’s Olympic Diving Trials.
Good luck, Roric. Always happy when I see you in a good setting.
Well this isn’t the fluidra race video of the week…
Roric was the head coach at Ford until 2010. The program developed a multitude of great swimmers, some of whom have gone on to successful coaching careers themselves. He preceded his time at the Phoenix Swim Club (nee Phoenician) with a remarkable age group coaching stint at Rio Salado. SMU made a great hire.
Hoagland still has a year of eligibility right? Am I reading the article wrong?
No I think you’re right, I think he does.
“Short break” after Texas Women included a year-ish at Austin Swim Club where he worked with Jillian Cox, before leaving for SMU, she really got going there before heading off to Longhorn where she ultimately made the NT.
SMU is a team on the rise! Watch out everyone
Congrats! A great coach and even a better fit!
If Fink keeps swimming after Paris they’ll have Fink coaching Fink
Melanie coaches there too. FinkU!!