Getting to Know the Coaches: Swim and Dive -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Getting to Know the Coaches: Swim and Dive

We're back in action with getting to know the coaching staffs of our various Louisville women's teams. The fall only sports are gone but a few sports run through multiple seasons, such as the swimming and diving season, which begins late in the fall and runs through early March.

Arthur Albiero, head coach

Arthur Albiero has overseen the Louisville swim and dive program for 20 years. He helped the program rise to prominence with several top 10 finishes and a handful of individual national championships such as Kelsi Worrell Dahlia and Mallory Comerford. He has also served as the head coach for the Brazilian National Team during this stint.

During his early days as head coach, Albiero played a crucial role in the design and construction of the Ralph Wright Natatorium. The Natatorium continues to be one of the premiere swim facilities in the country for college athletics.

Before coming to Louisville, Albiero was an assistant at Alabama for four years. Before his days with the Crimson Tide, he had a decorated four-year career at Oakland.

Stephanie Juncker, associate head coach

Stephanie Juncker has been with Louisville since 2014 when she was hired as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2011. She has been with the Cards every step of the way in the ACC and has been the women's recruiting coordinator.

Juncker was an assistant coach at Arkansas for one season prior to Louisville and one year at Fresno State before that. She is a Louisville alum, swimming her entire collegiate career under Albiero and earning multiple Big East championships.

Nick Zorn, assistant coach

Nick Zorn is one of the newer faces on the coaching staff, joining Louisville in 2021 during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. He came to Louisville from Florida State, where he was an assistant coach for three years.

Zorn was a volunteer assistant at Alabama two years before that. He came to Alabama straight out of college after building a strong resume in his four years as a swimmer at Delta State.

Ryan Rougeux, diving coach

Ryan Rougeux came to Louisville in 2017 as an interim diving coach and was promoted to head diving coach in 2018. Since joining the Cards, the Louisville student-athlete divers have set numerous school records.

He was the head coach at Wright State for three seasons before coming to Louisville. He earned Horizon League honors during that time. Before his time at Wright State, Rougeux was a four-year diver for Centre College in Danville, KY. He also earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Dayton School of Law in 2016.

We've been fortunate to get out to the Natatorium in the past to witness Louisville swimming and diving events and hope to get back out there again this season.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Albiero Adds Diving Coach to Staff -- KY/IN All-Star Basketball Games -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ryan Rougeux Hired as Head Diving Coach

Photo from gocards.com

Ryan Rougeux spent last season as interim diving coach.  The success by the diving part of the swim and dive team led to Rougeux being promoted to head diving coach.

Rougeux was head coach at Wright State for three years before joining Arthur Albiero's staff in the 2017-18 season.  At Wright State, Rougeux had two conference championships, a school record diver, and multiple NCAA qualifiers.

Photo from gocards.com

The young coach continued his success and improved his resume with the Cardinals.  Daniel Fecteau broke the school record in the platform at the Miami Invitational.  Molly Fears qualified for the NCAA 1M, 3M, and platform and was one of five divers to compete in the NCAA zones.  Both the men and women's teams placed second in the conference championships.

"I would like to thank head swim coach Arthur Albiero and athletic director Vince Tyra for this opportunity," said Rougeux.  "As a Louisville native, I have always admired the University of Louisville and its athletic program.  I am excited to continue my work here as the head diving coach and I look forward to building this program into one of the top in the country.  Go Cards!"

We look forward to seeing what Coach Rougeux will do with the diving program here at Louisville!

WBB's "Big Three" Recruits to Compete in Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Games

Photo from gocards.com

Molly Lockhart, Seygan Robins, and Mykasa Robinson will put on a show the next two days in the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star games.  They will play tonight at 6:00 p.m., at Bellarmine University and tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The trio will represent the Kentucky side.  They have some experience playing together after being on the Kentucky Premier AAU team last year.

Louisville's "big three" enter the Cards WBB family as the No. 13 recruiting class- the seventh time in nine years the Cards have been Top 15.  All three were finalists for Kentucky's 2018 Miss Basketball Award with Robins claiming the honors.  Lindsey Duvall won it the previous year.

UofL's in-state talent is top notch and is sure to help draw in larger crowds at the KFC Yum! Center as Jeff Walz's 2018-19 squad is out for revenge and finish off some business from last year.  They already have their eyes focused on Tampa Bay in early April.

Other News and Notes

Congratulations to Dorcas Wasike for her second place finish in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Track and Field Championships yesterday! Other UofL women's participants yesterday were Makenli Forrest, finishing 18th in the Hammer throw and Gabriela Leon who was 16th. in the Pole Vault. Wasike earned All-American honors in both track and cross country this season.

Men's tennis finished the season ranked seventh in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association/Ohio Valley Region rankings.  The finished 15-11 after facing a top notch ACC schedule and strong out of conference schedule.

Grab your closest buddies and celebrate National Best Friends Day.  Maybe grab a jelly-filled donut and head to the zoo to see elephants in action.  It is also World Oceans Day so if any of our readers live by the beach head on out and clean up the beach a little on this good-weathered day.

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour will be minus a knucklehead Saturday. Jared is back to his turning fives into twenties Saturday routine. We're pleased to have Mike Gilpatrick in his chair to fill in and we'll see how the River City Cards guru does on the weekly quiz.


Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -