University of Denver Athletics

Head Coach Brian Schrader is starting his 13th season at the University of Denver in 2018-19. He continues to help build the University of Denver into one of the best mid major programs in the country and one recognized for continual athletic development and improvement, including the women’s team garnering recognition for being the top mid major program in the country in each of the last three years (2016, 2017 and 2018).

During the last 12 seasons, Coach Schrader has garnered 13 conference Coach of the Year honors and has been recognized five times by the American Swimming Coaches Award of Excellence for having an athlete finish in the top eight at the NCAA Championships. The Denver Swimming and Diving squad has also qualified athletes for the NCAA Championships nine out of the last 12 seasons and has had athletes earn 23 All-American honors.

Under Schrader’s direction, the University of Denver records for men and women have been broken over 60 times each. Denver women’s swimmers have accounted for two NCAA automatic cuts and 115 NCAA B standards, while the men have recorded one individual (Anton Loncar, 2017) and two relays (200 free, 2017, 200 free, 2018) A-standards, and 143 NCAA B standards. Denver left the Sun Belt Conference in 2012 owning 16 of 18 women’s swimming records and 17 of 18 men’s.   With one season in the Western Athletic Conference, Denver still owns two all-time records and after three seasons in the Summit League, Denver women own 17 of 18 league swimming records, while the men own 12 of 18. In 2017 and 2018, Denver swept all 34 events at the Summit League Championships. 

CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Over Schrader’s 12 seasons at Denver, the Swimming and Diving program has become known for championship high performance, and has had their teams garner six women’s Conference Championships and seven men’s Conference Championships. Denver student-athletes during this period have won a total of 19 Conference Championship Swimmer of the Year honors (nine women and 10 men). Denver has also earned 10 Swimmer of the Year honors in the Summit League in the past five years, nine Newcomer of the Year awards, as well as seven Conference Championship Diver of the Year honors.

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Denver Swimmers and Divers have been represented at the following International Events:
2009 World Championships Rome, Italy – Blake Worsley, Canada
2010 Pan Pacific Games, Irvine, CA – Blake Worsley, Canada
2010 Junior Pan Pacific Games, Hawaii – Samantha Corea, Canada
2010 Commonwealth Games, Delhi, India – Blake Worsley, Canada
2011 Pan American Games, Guadalajara, Mexico – Samantha Corea, Canada
2012 Olympic Games London, UK – Blake Worsley, Canada
2013 World Championships, Barcelona, Spain-Blake Worsley, Canada
2014 CAC Games, Veracruz, Mexico  -- Andrew Torres, Puerto Rico
2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Hawaii—Grace Sommerville, New Zealand
2015 Pan American Games, Toronto, Canada –Andrew Torres, Puerto Rico
2015 World University Games, Gwangju, South Korea—Samantha Corea, Canada

2016 German Nationals - Johanna Roas

2016 Canadian Olympic Trials - Grace Sommerville, Heidi Bradley, Bailey Andison, Tyra Rooney, Samantha Corea

2016 U.S. Olympic Trials - Amanda Sanders, Jared Smith, Kyle Robrock, Morgan McCormick, Dylan Bunch, Maddie Myers

2016 Jr. Pan Pacific Championships - Stephen Calkins, Colin Gilbert

2016 U.S. Open - Kyle Robrock, Andrew Torres, Sid Farber

2016 Settecolli (Italy) - Andrew Torres

2016 Len European Championships - Anton Loncar

2017 Mel Zajac Jr. International - Colin Gilbert (Canada), Anton Loncar (Croatia)

2017 FINA World Championships - Anton Loncar (Croatia), Adriel Sanes (U.S. Virgin Islands)

2017 U.S. Open - Kyle Robrock

2017 Canadian Nationals - Colin Gilbert, Aysia Leckie, Mehdi Ayoubi

2017 United States Junior Nationals - Sid Farber

2017 World University Games - Bailey Andison (Canada)

2018 Canadian Nationals - Stephen Calkins

ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Under Coach Schrader’s leadership, Denver has become known for student athletes that excel in the classroom. The DU Swimming and Diving team GPA has been ranked the best in Division I three times in the last 12 seasons. The program can continually be found in the Top 5 team GPA’s within Division I in the country.   

Denver has earned the College Swimming Coaches Association Academic All-American Team designation every season under Schrader, and has had 75 athletes earn Academic All-American honors (a 3.5 GPA and an NCAA B standard or faster) since 2007. Three Denver swimmers have earned the prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship since 2007—Jackie Leung, Kyle Milberg, and Samantha Corea. 

BACKGROUND
Schrader earned his masters and undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin. He most recently completed the High Performance Leadership Program in the Daniels College of Business here at the University of Denver.

After earning his degree, Schrader served as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the University of Texas in 1991 and 1992. He helped guide the men’s team to the 1991 National Championship title.

Prior to coming to Denver, Schrader was USA Swimming's National Team Coordinator from 1995-99. While at USA Swimming, he was in charge of team selection for all of USA Swimming's International and National Events; Technical Logistics and Team Preparation; Budget Development and Maintenance for all National Team Programs. He also served as a liaison to the United States Olympic Committee and was on USA Swimming's technical planning team.

He has served as a U.S. team staff member on several international appointments including the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 1998 World Championships in Australia, the 2001 World Championships in Japan and the 2003 Pan-American Games in the Dominican Republic. Schrader also served as coach for the National All-Star Distance Camp held at the Olympic Training Center in July of 2002.

Schrader spent one season at the University of Iowa and helped the team break 12 school records and produce two All-American swimmers. In 1999-00, Schrader spent one season as an assistant at the University of Florida, where he helped qualify the sprint relays to the NCAA championships. He coached six All-American swimmers in the sprint events and an SEC champion in the 100 freestyle.

In his six years of coaching in the prestigious Southeastern Conference (he spent the 1999-2000 season at the Florida) and one year in the Big Ten Conference at Iowa (1999-2000), Schrader helped 13 male and female athletes earn nine All-America honors and 51 honorable mention All-America accolades.

Schrader had a very successful five-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia (2001-2006). Schrader helped the women's program to the 2005 NCAA National Championship and four national runner-up finishes. He also helped the men's program to four national top-10 finishes.
Schrader has also qualified for the USA Swimming National Team Coaches Trip List and was one of three coaches selected to attend the U.S. Olympic Committee Coaches College. He is currently a member of the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association National Top 25 Poll, and a member of USA Swimming's Olympic International Operations Committee.