As he heads into his inaugural season as head coach of men’s and women’s swimming and diving at Virginia Tech, Sergio Lopez Miro has finished assembling his staff with the hiring of four-time Olympian and Venezuelan national record-holder Albert Subirats as an assistant coach. Earlier this summer Lopez Miro announced the addition of assistant coaches Steve Steketee and Jacy Dyer.
“I’ve known Albert for years,” said Lopez Miro. “We tried to work together many times when he was a swimmer, and while that never happened we did build a great friendship. He contacted me immediately when I arrived in Blacksburg and I’m honored that Albert chose to start his coaching career here at Virginia Tech. His experience as a four-time Olympian and NCAA Champion – both individually and with a team – will help our athletes grow. I know that his positive energy and enthusiasm will be a perfect fit with our team.”
Subirats is a four-time Olympic qualifier for Venezuela, having made the cut in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2007 he claimed Venezuela’s first (and only to date) long-course World Championships medal, winning bronze in the 100 fly. In 2010 he was the World Champion in the 50m (short course) fly. Subirats swam collegiately at the University of Arizona from 2004 through 2007. He won three NCAA individual titles (100 fly and 100 back in 2006 as a junior, and 100 fly in 2007 as a senior) and, with his Wildcat teammates, 5 relay titles during his career. He was inducted into the University of Arizona Hall of Fame in 2017.
Subirats holds the Venezuelan long course national records in the 100m free, 50m fly, 100m fly (also the South America record) and 100m backstroke. Along with his relay teammates, he also holds records in the 4x100m free relay and 4x100m medley relay. He is a three-time winner of Venezuela’s Sportsman Athlete of the Year (2006, 2007 and 2009) and is the most decorated swimmer in the history of the South American and Central American Games.
Subirats graduated from Arizona in 2009 with a degree in business administration, and from Nova Southeastern in 2016 with an MBA.
4x Olympian Albert Subirats joins #Hokies swimming & diving as an assistant coach! https://t.co/gVW6hDj68w#WelcomeHome 🦃🏊♀️🏊♂️ pic.twitter.com/rZvcZp9JAt
— Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving (@HokiesSwimDive) August 10, 2018
Congratulations to VaTech and Albert
No coaching experience. Let alone college. Interesting hire to say the least.
Agreed.
Dude he has to start somewhere…besides don’t you think his experience as an elite swimmer gives him a little advantage?
Starting a coaching career at a D1 school isn’t exactly a normal starting point. So many coaches pay dues coaching on age group teams 50 weeks a year for many years, and are excited for a D3 opportunity. Yes, he was very very fast, and I am sure he has a ton to offer the program, but this is quite the fast track. I am hoping for the best, but just because you know how to swim doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to coach an athlete at this level. Good luck to everyone at VT this season, it’s going to be an interesting one for sure!
So much politics in the choosing of a D1 college assistant. Might be an extremely smart hire not only with his swimming knowledge , but his connections to South America and Sergio to Spain and Europe.He can learn and continue to learn just like all coaches. Best wishes in his journey !
He did coach a club team in south Florida “Midtown Athletic Club” so do your homework before you go on talking about stuff you don’t know….wish the guy good luck.
Not that I am pearl clutching, but wasn’t there a cocaine positive test at one point too?
No that was Omar Pinzon
might want to do a simple google search before you throw a comment like that out there…
Was he a volunteer at Nova?
solid pick up
Pick up for what..?? He has no coaching experience at the college level …he has been working in marketing and public relations (accounting).
Short course god, 2007 this guy was on fire.
His 50 back that year leading off the 200 medley relay that got lost to history due to a DQ was still one of the most absurd swims I’ve ever seen relative to the competition.
It’s on YouTube …
Without even watching again he goes 20.5… someone’s filmed it and literally can’t believe it.
It’s a classic watch ….
‘He’s fast , o god he’s fast , 20.5!’
Thank you for this! I hadn’t seen this version before, that’s awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asi9ecR6FWs
He was the best underwater dolphin kick guy I ever saw. Unbelievable.