David Marsh Interview

David Marsh has consistently steered the Auburn Tiger Swimming Program to victory, and this season was no exception: Auburn took home the team trophy at the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Minneapolis on March 26. On the first day of competition, the Tigers' Fred Bousquet became the first man to swim the 50 free in less than 19 seconds.

This year's win was the Auburn men's third consecutive national championship, with 491 points over second place Stanford's 414 points. The senior class of Chad Barlow, Fred Bousquet, Matt Bricker, BJ Jones, Nate Knopf, Andrew Sivulka and Ryan Wochomurka, finished their college careers with 74 All-America honors and a perfect 30-0 dual meet record.

In the NCAA Division 1 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, the University of Georgia won with 609.5 points over the Auburn team's 492 points. In recent years, Auburn has won the women's championship three years in a row, 2002 – 2004. The University of Georgia won three years prior to that, 1999 – 2001.

"The pendulum swings," said Marsh, reflecting on the women's championships. "There are so many fantastic programs in the NCAA, and this year the University of Georgia showed us what it's got."

Marsh is asked one question so often he could answer it in his sleep, "How do the Tigers do it, year after year?"

"As always," Marsh said, "anytime you're competing at the championship level, winning is not about just one thing — it's a combination of many major and minor factors. Much credit goes to the athletes themselves, but the resources that surround the athletes are absolutely critical to our success: our staff, the facility, our training equipment — there are lots of factors involved, and if any of them are not in line with the needs of the team, it will cause a weakness in the system."

When talking training, Marsh can't say enough about the new Colorado Time Systems underwater speaker system Auburn recently installed. "The system allows the swimmer to drop underwater and hesitate to create proper body alignment before releasing from the wall," he said. "With the underwater speaker system, the coaches are able to talk with the swimmers under the water to help them to position themselves properly."

How does the women's team look for the future? "The women's program will have a whole new feel to it since our top two swimmers in the history of the women's program are graduating in May," Marsh said, referring to graduating seniors Kirsty Coventry, Olympic gold medalist, and All-American Margaret Hoelzer.

And the men's team? "The future is bright," said Marsh. "We're very confident in our program. Throughout the year, the athletes go through a process of underclassmen assuming more responsibility, and next year's senior class is looking outstanding. We have a strong group of guys next year."