Boston University Women's Swimming

Smyth led the Terriers to impressive gains in the final years in the America East including women's titles in 2009 and 20010 and a sweep of the conference in 2012. In 2013, Smyth led both squads to ECAC Championships in lieu of the America East Meet, which the squads were not eligible for due to the move to the Patriot League. Since his arrival at BU, Smyth's athletes have won 116 individual conference crowns. In addition, Smyth owns a combined .746 dual meet win percentage across the men's and women's teams through his first 10 seasons. Every men's and all but one women's school record has been reset at least once throughout his tenure. Smyth is a four-time America East Coach of the Year on the men's side and in 2008 he swept the awards by claiming it on the women's side. In Smyth's first season with the Terriers (2005-06), 95 percent of the men's team swam at least one lifetime best and over 77 percent of the women's team did as well, while the Terriers boasted three individual conference champions. That same year, Smyth led the BU women to a third-place finish at the America East Championship, which the Terriers hosted in their new aquatic center. The Terrier men finished fourth and were paced by senior Mike Kelly, who won the Coaches' Award for highest career point total. All told, 18 women scored at the conference meet (seven more than the previous year) and 19 men scored (five more than 2005). Lidija Breznikar went on to break three school records and one conference mark, while Christina Ruggiero swam the second-fastest 1000 free time in school history. With Smyth at the helm, the team continued to grow and enjoy more and more success. In the 2008-09 season Smyth brought the program to a new level as the women's squad won its first America East Championship in 14 years, dethroning two-time conference champion UMBC. Tess Waresmith earned Diver of the Meet accolades while Eve Kinsella garnered the Coaches' Award, which honors a graduating senior for accumulating the most points over four years at the conference championship. On the men's side, Andre Watson was named the Diver of the Meet and Matt Rickett earned Swimmer of the Meet recognition and both went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Rickett was the first BU male swimmer to qualify in 27 years. In 2012, Smyth led the Terriers to a sweep of the conference championship for the first time since 1994. Freshman Connor Stuewe was named Rookie of the Meet while junior Melinda Matyas captured her third straight Diver of the Meet award. Smyth, who is credited with the outstanding development of UVA's men's and women's swimming programs as the Cavaliers' assistant coach from 1997-05, was named head coach of BU's programs on May 24, 2005. A five-time All-American swimmer for the Cavaliers, Smyth coached Virginia's distance and IM swimmers and was heavily involved in recruiting. During the 2004-05 season, the Virginia men's team won its seventh straight Atlantic Coast Conference title and finished 13th overall at the NCAAs. Two of the swimmers Smyth coached earned First Team All-American honors: Pat Mellors, who took fifth in the 400 IM and John Millen, who placed sixth in the 1650 freestyle. In addition, the women's team was second at the ACC meet after winning the team title the previous two years. At the 2004 NCAAs, Smyth coached three men and three women to top-10 finishes in the 1650 freestyle. A 1994 Virginia graduate with a degree in psychology, Smyth specialized in the 400 IM. In addition to his five All-American recognitions, he won six ACC individual titles, including four in the 400 IM. Smyth set the school and ACC records in the 400 IM in 1994 with a time of 3:47.98, which stood until the 2002 ACC Championships. Smyth was selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary Men's Swimming and Diving Team in August of 2002. He was a finalist at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 IM, placing fifth, and was also a finalist at USA National meets on several occasions. Smyth also boasts international coaching experience, as he served as an assistant coach for the Macedonian Olympic team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. A native of Norristown, Pa., Smyth has served as an assistant coach for some of the top club teams in the nation since his graduation from UVA. He spent time with the Jersey Wahoos and the Phoenix Swim Club, each of which sent swimmers to the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Miller has coached 16 conference divers of the year and three ECAC divers of the year and swept the accolade on the men's and women's side in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, helping the Terriers garner AE Coaching Staff of the Year honors from 2008 to 2010. In 2014-15, Gerlach-Miller coached freshman Lizzie Tillo to a Patriot League Diver of the Meet title. Tillo earned an individual championship in the 3M and took fifth overall on the 1M board. Prior to the move to the Patriot League, Gerlach-Miller coached one of her most successful female divers to date--fellow Hungarian Melinda Matyas. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2010 and 2011, placing 17th overall on the platform in 2011, the highest-ever finish for a Boston University diver. Matyas claimed America East Diver of the Meet as a freshman, sophomore and junior, sweeping the 1M and 3M boards in all three seasons. With the Terriers ineligible for the conference tournament due to the conference transition, Matyas helped the Terriers win their second-ever ECAC Championship with an individual title on the 1M board. Boston University dominated the America East diving competition from 2008-2012, during which the women's squad won every individual title in the 1M and 3M events while the men's team completed the same feat from 2008-2011. During this span some of the programs best divers emerged, including Andre Watson, who is just the second male diver in program history to reach the NCAA Championships and the first in 27 years when he qualified in 2009. He left Boston University having broken six of eight possible school and pool records for the Terriers. Watson also won three America East individual titles after transferring to BU from Rutgers and was named the AE Diver of the Year in 2008 and 2009. Teammate Tanner Knorr surfaced as one of Gerlach-Miller's most accomplished male divers after Watson graduated, winning five individual America East titles and sweeping the 1M and 3M boards in 2010 and 2011. Tess Waresmith reset the standard for BU in 2008 when she became the first diver in 26 years to reach the NCAA Championship, where she competed in both the 1M and 3M events. She earned America East Diver of the Year recognition in 2008 and 2009 when she swept the 1M and 3M boards in both seasons. Waresmith currently holds every school and pool record at BU. Gerlach-Miller, who attended NC State for her undergrad, joins head coach Bill Smyth, who attended rival Virginia during the same timespan, on the ACC Swimming and Diving 50th Anniversary team. In addition to training for five years at the Division I level, Agnes was a member of the Hungarian National Team for 10 years, representing Hungary at the 1988 (Seoul) and 1992 (Barcelona) Olympics on the 3M platform. She was also a finalist in the 1993 World University Games, (1M and 3M), 1990 World Cup (3M), 1985 and 1991 European Championships (3M), and the 1986 World Championships (3M). A competitive diver since the age of four, Agnes comes from a family with a strong history in diving. Her father, Istvan Gerlach, was her coach while he led the Hungarian National Team and was also the National Team coach in Qatar. Her uncle, Joe Gerlach, represented the University of Michigan during his years in the United States and placed fourth at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics on the platform. In addition, her brother was a Junior European Champion and placed fourth at the Junior World Championships. A two-time NCAA All-American and three-time ACC Diver of the Year at NC State, Gerlach-Miller was a three-time ACC champion on the three-meter and also claimed a one-meter title.

Strasburger has been Bill Smyths assistant since he began his career at BU in 2005. Strasburger works with all swimmers and divers, helps with recruiting and organizes all team travel. While at Boston University, Strasburger has helped lead the Terriers to four conference championships and produce 119 individual conference champions. She was part of five America East Coaching Staff of the Year awards including a sweep of both the mens and womens titles in 2008. Strasburger has helped five BU swimmers and divers reach the NCAA Championship Meet in the span of six years, the most Terriers to reach the national meet in that timeframe since the 80s. Prior to BU, Strasburger was on staff at Cal-Berkeley and helped the Bears' team, featuring Olympians Stacianna Stitts (Sydney, 2000) and Natalie Coughlin (Athens, 2004 & Beijing 2008), finish eighth in the NCAA Championships in 2003 and sixth in 2004. Her duties involved assisting with recruiting, technique, team-building and training. She also helped run a summer camp for youth swimmers. Strasburger was a decorated performer at the North Carolina. She earned honorable mention All-America status in each of her four seasons as a Tar Heel and was also an Academic All-American from in 1999 and 2000. She was the team captain for the 1999-00 season and helped the Tar Heels capture the ACC championship in 2000. She swam the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle as well as the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay and the 200- and 400-yard medley relay. She was on the conference championship-winning 200- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams as well as a two-time 400-yard medley relay title squad. Strasburger was a three-time recipient of the Hill Carrow Spirit Award and she was awarded the Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholar-Athlete Postgraduate scholarship as a senior. Aside from Division I experience, Strasburger has coached club-level swim teams in the Seattle area and was also the assistant girl's swim coach at Mercer Island High School from 2000 to 2002. Strasburger is a native of Mercer Island, Wash. and completed her B.A. in political science at UNC (`00). She earned her masters degree in public policy in 2004 at Cal's Goldman School of Public Policy.