Austin Surhoff, courtesy Johns Hopkins Athletics
Former NCAA Champion Austin Surhoff has been named a volunteer assistant at the University of Virginia. He spent last season as an assistant with top-tier Division III team Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where he spent much of his youth while his father was playing for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.
In his one season at Johns Hopkins, he helped coach the Men’s and Women’s teams to 4th and 5th place finishes, respectively, at the 2018 Division III NCAA championships. The team earned 64 All-American finishes and broke 6 Johns Hopkins team records.
As a swimmer, Surhoff swam at the University of Texas, where he was the 2010 NCAA Champion in the 200 yard IM. He earned 11 total All-American honors, including a 2nd NCAA title as part of Texas’ 2012 winning 400 free relay, and was the top individual scorer for the Longhorns when they won the 2010 team national championship.
In high school he trained at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under Armstrong and 2008 Olympic Team coach Paul Yetter. While training for them, Surhoff qualified for three US National Junior team and semi-finaled in the 200 IM at the 2008 Olympic Trials, finishing 11th.
Internationally, Surhoff also qualified for two USA World University Games teams, winning a silver medal at the 2013 Games, and finished 4th at the 2012 US Olympic Trials in the 200 IM.
Surhoff has an impressive list of mentors throughout his career, Besides Eddie Reese, Kris Kubik, and Paul Yetter, he also trained with 2016 U.S. Olympic Team men’s head coach Bob Bowman after graduating from Texas
Surhoff qualified for the USA Swimming National Team 3 times, and ended his elite career with an 8th-place finish in the 200 IM at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Surhoff is also an active Master’s swimmer, and recently set four relay National Records for the 25+ age group at the 2018 USMS Southern Zone Championships.
The Cavaliers won the ACC Women’s Championships last season in their first year under new head coach Todd DeSorbo, while the men finished 3rd. The women finished 9th at NCAAs and the men were 29th.
Surhoff Special!!!
It wouldn’t have been too much trouble to mention the team —- Rice Masters Aquatics — that the four relay records were set with. Those relays were stacked —- Dax Hill (former NCAA 200 free champ), Bryan Collins (6th at NCAAs in 400 IM), and John Wagner (2012 OT qualifier in 100 free).
Poor Eric Friedland… only an NCAA champion and a handful of All-American honors so he doesn’t even get a mention in your comment…
You’re right. The only one who could swim breast (and fast!).
John Wagner didn’t swim at 2012 OTs, but he did swim at 2016 OTs in the 50 free. And, Friedland could swim much more than breaststroke.
Wasn’t Dax splitting 51 in the 100 breast at the 2013 NCAAs?
Adam Depmore, should I assume? The man who made Dax the swimmer he was. Still remember hot summer day in 2009 when I brought our 8 yo son to try out and you pointed at Dax: “that kid is one of the best breaststrokers in the country.” Then he went to UT and Eddie said “Nah, freestyle is your future.” 🙂 Good old days. Still very much fun to watch you and him coach now days together.
Well done Austin.Your sure fitting into the cross family across the ocean?Big sporting family.you might swim across to Ireland some day☘️☘️
Great young man. All the best,Austin, and maybe one day back to Austin, Austin. 🙂
DeSorbo keeps impressing; he knows an influx of Eddie “genes” can only help his team.
To celebrate this and in anticipation of my annual 3 minute chat with Eddie around pool watching Summer Swim League meets (Edie hopes to find a 6’4” 10 year old – that and watching his grand kids), here is;
My top 10 list of Eddie’s favorite quotes he never said:
1. I still cannot believe I was able to fake it for so long.
2. I wish the taper is 30 days they do not come to practice, so I can rest. I am exhausted, man.
3.… Read more »
Eddie told me this one once:
“They all grow up, it’s just a matter of when.”
So true!
Slightly amused that both parents are UNC alums; his mother, Polly Winde, was a 4-time ACC Champ in the 400 IM and a star multiple-time All-American swimmer and National Team member. I think he seriously consider UVA undergraduate before selecting Texas. Welcome to C’ville and Wahoo Swimming, Austin.
Why would he want to learn from the UNC staff vs UVA staff????. In fact I’m sure he’s as surprised as anyone it’s still the same staff at UNC. Perhaps had Yuri become the UNC coach as he should have he would thought about volunteering at UNC
I don’t really feel the UNC UVA hatred like we used to. UNC swimmers mostly talk trash about UNC these days, while UVA and NC State swimmers have become the ones who say unspeakably-awful things about each other.
Though, I’m sure the overall rivalry is still strong, especially with UVA having a good basketball team now.
Mostly because rivalries are only fun when’s there’s competition and UNC is lacking in that area recently.
To your point about “unspeakably awful things”, that might be a little much. Definitely animosity between the two teams but I think it’s mostly competitive and they respect each other outside of that realm.
Acc85 – while I wish that your belief about respect was accurate…as the one who has to moderate the comments, I can tell you that I’ve had to delete dozens of comments written by people in Charlottesville about NC State swimmers and written from Raleigh about Virginia swimmers that you would be ashamed to read out loud in front of your mother. And that’s to put it nicely.
“UNC swimmers mostly talk trash about UNC these days,”
Can you clarify, Braden? Is this to say that FORMER UNC swimmers are talking trash about present-day UNC swimming, or something else?
I just don’t understand this sentence…
Just a question, does he get paid for this position? Or will he be pursuing a masters at this school?
I’d guess & also hope he’s taking advantage of an opportunity to get a graduate degree.
Not sure what your dictionary says but in mine “volunteer”means no compensation.
Volunteers receive 0 monetary compensation. Or at least that’s what the NCAA rules say.
Why wouldn’t someone with his credentials and caliber be a full-time paid assistant at a division one institution, instead of a volunteer? Also your last paragraph has an error , the UVA men did not win the ACC championships last year.
Because Virginia. Because DeSorbo.
Maybe because he has 1 year of coaching experience?
0_0 yes, one year of coaching but 15 years of high-level Division 1 swimming and training under some of the country’s best coaches. That qaulifies is a PhD for a paid assistant position in division 1. Also this guy was an NCAA champion! Sure desorbo will be great to coach under, but there are many great coaches out there that will be looking for paid assistant positions. Personally, I think he is selling himself a bit short , financially. However, maybe he doesn’t need money since his daddy was a big major league baseball player pulling in the big bucks for many years.
Just because you can swim it, doesn’t mean you can coach it. That being said, I’m sure he will prove himself to be a great coach and look forward to seeing his impact at Virginia.
Love to say the Hoos won the Men’s ACCs last year, but they were (a surprising) 3rd after having been picked to finish much lower. Give it a couple of years.