The Old Dominion swimming and diving teams are preparing for their first meet on Oct. 25, but you can get a headstart on the season by chatting LIVE with head coach Carol Withus. She will stop by on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. to answer any of your questions. Be sure to check back on Thursday and you can always post your question before hand by filling out the form below. About Coach Withus: Since joining Old Dominion, Withus has compiled a 67-42 record as the men's coach and a 31-79-1 mark as the women's coach. Last year, her women's team finished 4-7 as the team continued to rebuild. She has an overall record of 82-84-1 as a women's coach. Withus has earned the CAA Coach of the Year honor three times and guided the 1997-98 men's team to a perfect 12-0 record and it's first ever CAA Championship. She has also coached the most prolific swimmer in CAA history, Mary Kay Bolduc, who became the first athlete (male or female) to win four CAA Swimmer of the Year honors (1995-99). Former Monarch Kara Fichtorn won the same title during her tenure (1999-03) with the team, giving Old Dominion and Withus the honor of having the CAA's best female swimmer in five of the last eight years. Before beginning her Old Dominion career, Withus was the head women's coach at New York University, where she compiled a 55-12 record. She coached eight NCAA All-Americans, was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Conference in 1992 and took second in the Metropolitan Conference Championships with a 10-1 record during her final year at NYU. A native of White Plains, NY, Withus graduated from Adelphi University in 1985 with a degree in physical education. She received her master's degree in physical education from Ohio University in 1986. Carol and her husband John currently reside in Virginia Beach, VA with their daughters Caroline (3) and Catherine (a few months old). | |||||||||
| Moderator: Hello everyone,coach Withus will behere in about ten minutes | |||||||||
| Moderator: Good evening everyone.Welcome to this week'sODU chatroom with men's andwomen's head swimming & diving coach Carol Withus. | |||||||||
| norfolk: You are one of a few women's coaches nationlly coaching bothmen and women. have there beenany added challenges? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: I think it has becomeeasier, because men havechanged their attitudes about women coaching men's teams. | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: certainly our numbers will be our best strenghts. We have doubled the squad size ofboth our men and women's squads. Which gives us more depth overall. | |||||||||
| George(Portsmouth): What will be your men's and women'steam strengths this year? | |||||||||
| Carlos(Norfolk): Is you husband John still coachingHigh School basketball and where? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: Yes, John is coachingat Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach. | |||||||||
| Fred (Alexandria): Who is the team to beat inthe CAA this year? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: On the men's side, UNCWilmington, and onthe women's side, GeorgeMason | |||||||||
| Ryan Owens, Portsmouth: How did you get involved in coaching? If you weren't coaching, what do you think you'd be doing? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: I swam my whole life andI really did not want toleave the sport. If I were not coaching, I believe I would probably bea H&PE teacher. | |||||||||
| Jeff Reed, Chesapeake: Who would you say are your best divers this year? How does this year's dive team compare with last year's team? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: Our best divers this yearare probably Tommy Dinguson the men's side and Michelle Kinney and Christina Schleyer on thewomen's side. We are so much better than last year. We have more quality depth, which gives us more strength inmeets in terms of scoring. | |||||||||
| Will Mehaffey, Virginia Beach: What events do you think ODU swimming will be most competitive in this year? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: The freestyle and butterfly events shouldbe our strongest events. | |||||||||
| James Hudson, Richmond: How does the ODU swim team rate with the other CAA schools this year? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: There are really no ratings in swimming, but I think we could be in the top three of the CAA in both men's and women's events. | |||||||||
| Tom (Richmond): Who is the best male and femaleswimmer in college today? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: On the women's side,Natalie Coughlin andon the men's side, Brendon Neligan. | |||||||||
| Chuck (Norfolk): What got you interested in coaching? | |||||||||
| Carol Withus: I love the sport and Ididn't want to leave thesport. | |||||||||
| Moderator: Everyone, thank you forparticipating. The firstswimm meet will be OCt. 25th at George Mason. | |||||||||
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Chat Live With ODU Swimming & Diving Coach Carol Withus
