It turns out that Missouri Associate Head Coach Roric Fink loved the Big 12 so much, that he decided he didn’t want to leave it with his Tigers. He has been named as the new assistant coach for the women at the University of Texas.
Fink made his name in Arizona, first at the Phoenix Swim Club from 1995-2000, and then under Frank Busch with both Tucson Ford and the University of Arizona.
Fink counts a slew of Olympic and National swimming heros to his name, having worked with Gary Hall, Jr., Klete Keller, and Amanda Beard at various points of their careers. He also has several National Team coaching staffs on his resume.
When Greg Rhodenbaugh headed East to Missouri, Fink came with him to help build a program with little to work with aside from a beautiful facility and the support of the Athletic Department. The two had a lot of success with the Tigers, including taking the women to an unprecedented level of success there.
But now he’s hopping onto Carol Capitani’s ship in Austin, where he will face a whole different challenge. The Longhorns have a great facility, and a huge history, but this duo will have to work to restore the confidence and enthusiasm of the swimmers.
It’s going to be interesting to see where the two programs diverge to 5 years from now. Both are at major turning-points in their growths and development.
The situation changes bigtime in terms of environment. As Missouri moves to one of the best and deepest conferences in the country in the SEC, the Longhorns will remain as the lone star in the Big 12 sky. But his recruiting ties will pay off for Capitani – the Missouri women had more swimmers from Texas (8) on their roster last year than any other state, including Missouri (6).
Great hire! Roric is a class act. Can’t wait to see this program rise to the top.
Huge hire on Carol’s part.
Nice move for Roric and Texas!
Dang, I guess it’s too late for me to apply now. Shucks.