University of California - Berkeley Men's Swimming

Durden and Cal associate head coach Yuri Suguiyama were both named assistant coaches for the US Olympic team and Durden was awarded the 2016 Coach of the Year award from the American Swim Coaches Association.   In the collegiate ranks under Durdens tenure, the Golden Bears have finished first or second at the NCAA championships in each of the last seven seasons bringing the NCAA team title back to Berkeley in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Durden has been named NCAA Coach of the Year four times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014). The Bears also captured back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2013 and 2014, ending Stanfords 31-year streak in 2013. He produced three Pac-12 Newcomers of the Year in four years Josh Prenot in 2013, Ryan Murphy in 2014 and Andrew Seliskar in 2016 and earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year for five consecutive years (2010-2014) before winning the award again in 2016. Murphy took those accolades a step further in 2015, earning both Pac-12 and NCAA Swimmer of the Year honors and repeated as CSCAA National Swimmer of the Year and Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year in 2016.   Since taking over the Cal program in the fall of 2007, Durden has produced 22 individual NCAA champions and has seen 13 relays win national crowns. He has also guided Cal swimmers to 41 Pac-12 titles and 22 conference relay titles. In 2015-16, Murphy won both backstroke events for the third year in a row and senior Josh Prenot brought home a national title in the 400 IM. Cal placed second as a team at the 2016 NCAA Championships, extending a run of finishing either first or second that dates back to 2010.   Beyond the collegiate ranks, Cal has assembled one of the most decorated professional groups in the sport. All of the post-grads in Durdens program swam for the Bears during their college years, which provides a unique connection and mentorship to the undergrad swimmers. Headlining this group are swimming legends-in-the-making Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin and Natalie Coughlin who account for 18 Olympic medals thus far in their careers.    Snapshot of Durdens coaching accomplishments while at Cal (2007-present):   Collegiate Team: International: Prior to his arrival in Berkeley, Durden guided Maryland's men's and women's swimming and diving from 2005-07. A former assistant at powerhouse Auburn from 2002-05, Durden helped the Tiger men's and women's teams capture a total of six NCAA team championships - the men winning in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and the women winning in 2002, 2003 and 2004. At Auburn, Durden was the primary coach for a number of world-class/postgraduate swimmers who were preparing for the World Championships and the World University Games. He mentored multiple world and NCAA record holders, and in 2004 coached multiple athletes who competed at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Durden served as the head coach for the Panama team at the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2003 Pan American Games. A 1998 graduate of UC Irvine, Durden earned a degree in electrical engineering. He competed on the Anteaters' swim team from 1994-97 and was the 1997 Big West Conference champion in the 200 butterfly. He and his wife, Cathy, reside in Concord with their son, Jack (born January 2009) and daughter, Mia (born March 2010).

Suguiyama was named the College Swimming Coaches Association of Americas Assistant Coach of the Year. Working primarily with the Bears middle-distance and distance corps, Suguiyama, 34, has mentored some top individuals at Cal. In 2014, he helped Jeremy Bagshaw establish three school records in the distance free (500 free, 1000 free, 1650 free), Josh Prenot win a NCAA title in the 400 IM as well as break school records in the 200 IM and 400 IM and Ryan Murphy win three straight NCAA titles in both the 100 and 200 back in record times. That success continued in 2015 when Murphy was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year thanks to repeat wins in both backstroke events and Prenot won a Pac-12 title in the 400 individual medley. 2016 was no different, as Murphy won CSCAA co-Swimmer of the Year thanks to his two NCAA titles and Prenot won his first NCAA title. The Bears captured back-to-back Pac-12 team titles in his first two years in Berkeley and at one point won 28 consecutive dual meets during Suguiyamas time at Cal. Prenot (2013), Murphy (2014) and Andrew Seliskar (2016) were Pac-12 Newcomers of the Year, as well. In addition to his duties at Cal, Suguiyama has served as an assistant coach for Team USA on a number of occasions. In 2016, he helped five members of California Aquatics -- Nathan Adrian, Ryan Murphy, Jacob Pebley, Josh Prenot and Tom Shields -- to spots on the U.S. Olympic Team and was selected to serve as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics. That quintet combined for nine medals, including Murphy's three gold medals and a world record in the 100 backstroke. Suguiyama has also served on Team USA coaching staffs at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships in Gold Coast, Australia and the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea where Prenot won gold in the 200m IM and 200m Breast, Pebley won gold in the 200m Back and Seth Stubblefield won gold as a member of the 400m Freestyle relay. Prior to joining the Bears, Suguiyama was the coach of the Nations Capital Swim Club out of the Washington D.C. area for six years and was renowned for his work with then 15-year-old Olympic champion Katie Ledecky, who won the 800-meter freestyle at both the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and the London Games. Ledecky was not Suguiyamas only standout. His club broke 19 Potomac Valley records, were ranked at the top nationally in 12 different events, and were on the top 100 lists all-time for 19 different events. Suguiyama was a member of the USA coaching staff for the 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii and was a nominee for the 2012 Coach of the Year Award by the American Swim Coaches Association. Its an honor to join the Cal mens swimming program with an opportunity to contribute to the championship culture Dave Durden has created in Berkeley, said Suguiyama upon his hiring. Im excited to be able to work with the student-athletes and become a member of this great university and its local communities. Besides coaching the Nations Capital Swim Club, where Suguiyama was also a standout competitor, he competed collegiately at the University of North Carolina where he was a first-team NCAA All-American selection as a senior and was named All-ACC for three years. Suguiyama was selected as co-captain his senior year and completed his Tar Heel career holding the school records in the 1000 and 1650-yard freestyles. During his college career, Suguiyama was named second-team District Three At-Large Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America while earning degrees in both political science and economics in 2004. "I have watched Yuri during his coaching career, said Durden. His intellect, his organization, and the culture he promotes within his environment are the very aspects we value within our Cal swimming family. We happily welcomed him to the pool deck, and I enjoy working side by side with such a great coach and great person."