Phil Spiniello has been named to replace Chuck Warner as the Rutgers Women’s head swimming & diving coach, the school announced today.
Warner had a 13-year tenure at the school that included a 3-year phaseout of the men’s program finalizing in 2007. Under his watch, the women’s program peaked at 18th place at NCAA’s in 2006.
Spiniello has a great coaching lineage, having come from Princeton. At Princeton, he was the assistant women’s coach, where, under Susan Teeter, he helped lead the Tigers to four top-25 finishes in four seasons, including being the top-ranked mid-major team last year. If he can capture the same magic that Teeter worked at Princeton, and combine that with a Big-6 conference budget, he has a chance to make some great things happen at Rutgers.
Prior to Princeton, he was an assistant at Arizona State.
Astonishingly, this is only the 7th head coach that Rutgers has had in its 95-year program history. In case you were curious: James H. Reilly (1916- 1957), Otto H. Hill (1957-1961), Frank W. Elm (1961-1993), Elizabeth Blau (1993-1996), Rick Simpson (1996-1997), and Chuck Warner (1997-2010), and Phil Spiniello (2010-present).
Below is the press release from the Rutgers website.
The following is a press release submitted to TSC from Yale University. The contents of this article have not been edited.
Phil Spiniello, who spent the past four seasons as assistant women’s swimming coach at Princeton University and helped the Tigers to four Top 25 finishes at the NCAA Championships, was today named the head women’s swimming and diving coach at Rutgers University by Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Pernetti. Spiniello becomes the seventh head coach in the 95-year history of the RU swimming program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Phil to the Rutgers family,” said Pernetti. “He has proven to be one of the top young coaches in women’s swimming and diving and will no doubt drive this program on a path of excellence for our student-athletes and our University.”
“I am extremely excited and honored to be the next swimming and diving head coach at Rutgers University,” said Spiniello. “It’s humbling to be afforded this opportunity with such an outstanding athletic department and University. I can’t wait to get started.”
Spiniello was instrumental in helping Princeton, which enters 2010-11 on a 30-meet win streak, to unprecedented success in recent years. In his four seasons alongside head coach Susan Teeter, Princeton finished in the Top 25 each year at NCAAs, captured three Ivy League Championships, was nationally-ranked annually and earned All-America honors in numerous individual events, as well as the 2008 800-free relay. In addition to his work poolside, Spiniello served as recruiting coordinator and brought in the nation’s 14th-ranked recruiting class in 2008, according to CollegeSwimming.com.
Princeton ended its 2010 campaign ranked atop the CollegeSwimming.com/CSCAA Mid-Major Rankings and finished 18th at the NCAA Championship meet for a second consecutive season. The Tigers captured the Ivy League Championship for the third time in four years with Spiniello on staff, also winning league crowns in 2008 and 2007. All-America honors were in frequent supply as well, with Alicia Aemisegger earning accolades 13 times from 2007-10. During his tenure, Spiniello also directed the Princeton University Summer Swim Camp and served as head coach and director of the Tiger Aquatic Club.
Spiniello began his collegiate coaching career at Arizona State University, first as a graduate assistant coach (2003-04), before serving as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swimming teams from 2004 to 2006. With the Sun Devils, his responsibilities included on-deck coaching of all athletes, recruiting and coordinating team travel. ASU’s men and women both had strong seasons in 2005 and 2006 with Spiniello’s assistance. The women’s team placed 12that NCAAs in 2005 and 29thin 2006. The men’s side placed 20that NCAAs in 2005 and 14thin 2006.
A former collegiate swimmer, Spiniello was a four-year varsity letterwinner and two-time team captain at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., from 1999-2003. He earned All-Centennial Conference honors and received the George McGinness Award for Outstanding Leadership as a senior. The Boston, Mass., native arrived in the Keystone State after attending Boston College High School, where he captured Boston Globe All-Scholastic accolades while helping the Eagles to three consecutive state swimming championships.
Spiniello earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Franklin and Marshall in 2003 before receiving a Master’s of Science in recreation management from Arizona State in 2006.
The Spiniello File
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Birth Date: August 28, 1980
High School: Boston (Mass.) College High School
Education: Franklin & Marshall College, B.A. History, 2003; Arizona State University, M.S. Recreation Management, 2006
COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE
2010-Present: Head Swimming & Diving Coach, Rutgers University
2006-2010: Assistant Women’s Swimming Coach, Princeton University
2004-2006: Assistant Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach, Arizona State University
2003-2004: GraduateAssistant Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach, Arizona State University
POSTSEASON FINISHES AS AN ASSISTANT COACH
2010 (Princeton): 18that NCAA Championships (Ivy League Champions)
2009 (Princeton): 18that NCAA Championships (Ivy League Dual Meet Champions)
2008 (Princeton): 24that NCAA Championships (Ivy League Champions)
2007 (Princeton): 24that NCAA Championships (Ivy League Champions)
2006 (Arizona State): 29th(Women) and 14th(Men) at NCAA Championships
2005 (Arizona State): 12th(Women) and 20th(Men) at NCAA Championships