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Hawks welcome new head coach
WATERLOO, Ont. - Wilfrid Laurier's department of athletics &
recreation is pleased to announce the appointment of Nandi Kormendi
as the head coach of the university's varsity swim team. Kormendi
will also take over coaching duties for the Region of Waterloo
(ROW) Swim club replacing Dean Boles who had left just recently to
become Swim Ontario's new mentor coach.
"I'm really excited to be joining the Golden Hawk family," said the
newly minted head coach. "My goal for the varsity program is to put
an emphasis on recruiting and continuing to build on the team
dynamic that Dean has done such a good job creating."
Kormendi has over 25 years of coaching experience, spending his
last three years as an assistant coach with ROW. The York
university grad has been a head coach with four other aquatic clubs
in his swim career.
"Nandi brings continuity to our swimming program," said director of
athletics and recreation, Peter Baxter. "He comes to us with a
tremendous amount of experience and is a leader who will continue
to develop our varsity swimming program."
Kormendi most recently served as head coach with the Perth
Stingrays, where he worked with Olympian Mike Brown. Brown went on
to make the National team in 2002 and represented Canada in the
2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. In 2008, another of Kormendi's
protégé's, Jillian Tyler, also represented Canada in
Beijing.
Joining Kormendi on staff with the program is Paul Meronen as an
assistant coach. Paul was also named ROW's new assistant coach for
senior and age group development. He was also the first head coach
for the Region of Waterloo Swim Club in 1976.
Last season the Laurier swim team finished seventh on the women's
side and tenth on the men's at the OUA championships in Toronto.
OUA all-star Whitney Rich had a career year with 16 first place
finishes and set a record in the 100-metre breaststroke at the
provincial championship. Both her and team captain David Hughes set
personal bests at the national tournament.
Source:
Laurier Athletics
