Emory University Men's Swimming

Howell, who was named the Emory University Swimming & Diving Head Coach in the summer of 1998, has transformed the program into a national powerhouse in his 18 years with the University. Since taking over the reins, Howell has guided the Eagles to a combined 35 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division III men's and women's National Championships and 36 conference team titles. This past season in 2015-16, he oversaw the womens team to their seventh consecutive NCAA Division III National Championship and ninth overall in program history while the mens team finished in the top-three at the NCAA Division III Championships for the 13th-time in program history, placing third. The womens title also marked the 16th-straight season of finishing fourth or better at nationals with the men posting their 17th consecutive top-5 finish. At the 2016 National Championships, Howell led the Emory women to six event National Championships, tying a school record for a single NCAA Championship meet, including a perfect five-for-five in relay events for the first time in school history, two school records and one Division III national record. He was named the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Womens National Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career, also winning the award in 2002, 2005, 2009 and 2011. During his tutelage, Howell has seen 30 individual and 24 relay national champions and an incredible 1,038 All-America certificates awarded to Emory swimmers. He has coached two National Division III Swimmer of the Year winners in Liz Horvat in 2009 and Andrew Wilson in 2015, 17 conference swimmers of the year, seven conference divers of the year, 16 conference rookies of the year and has led both the men's and women's teams to University Athletic Association titles in each of his 18 seasons with the team. In addition to the conference titles, Howell and his assistants have been honored nine times as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year, most recently in 2016. Howell was also the 2015 recipient of the National College and Scholastic Swimming Trophy, one of the five major awards presented annually by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. It is awarded to an individual or organization for having contributed in an outstanding way to swimming as a competitive sport and as a healthful recreational activity at schools and colleges and is the highest award of its kind in the United States. Before his arrival to Atlanta, Howell was the interim head coach at Kenyon College (Ohio) during the 1995-96 season in which his teams won the NCAA Division III national men's and women's championships. That season Kenyon won 14 national championships in individual or relay events, produced a Division III national record, established four new school records and swept the men's and women's conference titles. Howell is a 1990 graduate of Kenyon, where he was an 11-time National Champion and a 21-time All-American, primarily as a sprint freestyler. Among his 11 individual national championships are three consecutive in the 50-yard freestyle (1988-90), one of only two swimmers all-time to accomplish the feat in the event, and one in the 100-yard freestyle event (1990). Howell helped Kenyon to four national team championships and was twice voted the team's Most Valuable Performer. At the completion of his senior season, Howell was voted the school's Athlete of the Year.  

Marshall, a former NCAA Division I swimmer, joined the Emory University varsity coaching staff in fall 2004. Previously, Marshall served at Emory for one year as the coach for the women's junior varsity team. With Marshall on the coaching staff, the Emory women's team won National Championships in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, while the men recorded second-place national finishes in 2005 and 2009, and third-place national finishes in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Neither team has finished worse than fifth nationally since he came to the school. He has helped the Eagles' swimmers to 26 individual and 24 relay National Championships, in addition to 744 All-America certificates. Since joining the Eagles, Marshall has helped the team maintain its role as the dominant team in the University Athletic Association (UAA), winning the conference title in each of his 12 seasons. He was part of the conference coaching staff of the year in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and has coached 13 conference swimmers of the year and 12 conference rookies of the year. Marshall swam two years at NCAA Division I Lehigh (PA) before transferring to NCAA Division I Florida State University. He earned four varsity letters in high school at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. Since moving to Atlanta in 1997, Marshall has been involved with the Dynamo Masters swimming program. He began as a swimmer, but in 1999 became an assistant coach for Dynamo Masters. Marshall graduated from Florida State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering. He later earned a Master's of Science degree in manufacturing engineering from FSU in 1997.

Petroff joined the Emory University Swimming and Diving Coaching Staff in the middle of the 2012-13 season, serving as an assistant coach for the varsity squad. Petroff helped coach the womens squad to the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 NCAA Division III Championships, while the mens team recorded a third-place finish in 2014 and 2016 and fourth place in 2015.  The Eagles have won National Championships in seven individual events and 12 relays, securing 261 all-America certificates during his two seasons.  Emory also claimed both the mens and womens University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships in his four years with the squad. Petroff returns to Emory after an accomplished career as an Eagle, swimming for the squad from 2007-10 and serving as a team captain his senior year.  He is a nine-time All-American, including second-place finishes in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly events at the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships.  Petroff also claimed five UAA Championships and seven all-UAA honors in conference competition over his four-year career. Petroff earned his Bachelors Degree in Economics from Emory in 2010. Petroff has also worked as a salesperson for King of Pops Atlanta since May 2011, in addition to serving as the local sales manager for Mashburn Outdoor (2010-11) and an inside sales representative for Scoutmob (2011-12).  While a member of the Emory Swimming and Diving Team, he also served as a swim instructor for the Emory Community Swim Team.

Fontana has helped to lead the Eagles to unprecedented levels of success. With Fontana as part of the coaching staff, the Emory Swimming and Diving men's and women's teams have finished no worse than seventh in the nation, including National Championships for the Women's team in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and 16-consecutive top-four finishes.  The men's team has finished the season as one of the top-five teams in the nation in each of her 17 seasons (the Eagles had never finished better than sixth nationally before her arrival), including second-place finishes in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2009.  Emory has had 30 swimmers crowned National Champions and 24 national champion relay teams, and the Eagles have had a combined 1,016 All-America certificates awarded to their athletes since 2000. Fontana has helped the Eagles become the premier swimming team in the University Athletic Association (UAA), leading the Eagles to 17-consecutive conference titles, and coaching 17 conference swimmers of the year, and 16 conference rookies of the year. She was honored as part of the conference Coaching Staff of the Year eight times, most recently for the women's team in 2016. Prior to her arrival at Emory in the fall of 1999, Fontana spent three years as head coach for women's swimming and diving at Southern Connecticut State University. During the 1995-96 season, Fontana was the assistant coach for Kenyon College, which won both men's and women's NCAA team titles. Fontana is a 1992 graduate of Kenyon (Ohio) where she was team captain and an NCAA competitor in the distance freestyle events and the 400 IM. Fontana received her master's degree in exercise science from Southern Connecticut in 2004. She also has coached Hopkins Mariners in New Haven, Conn.