Skip Nitardy joins the newly unified SBU swim teams
Skip Nitardy has been named the new head coach of the St. Bonaventure University men’s and women’s swimming teams.
Bonaventure will become the seventh Atlantic 10 program to combine its swim coaching staff. This decision also led to combined practices for the men and women.
“It’s definitely a big change. It’s nothing like before,” said senior swimmer Eddie Donovan. “We had been very separated. The only thing we shared before was transportation to swim meets. We’re together now, training every day.”
The combination of the two teams also created challenges for scheduling. The program will now have two practices built around the student athletes schedules.
“[The schedules] were set up as if everything was going to be the same as last year. Everything is being adjusted now and it’s going to be a big change,” Donovan said.
Coach Nitardy replaces longtime men’s swim coach Sean McNamee, who became assistant athletics director for advancement at St. Bonaventure.
Nitardy has over 25 years of experience, including two years at the helm of the University of Maine.
He was most recently the director of athletics at The Epiphany School of Global Studies in North Carolina. Nitardy was not available for comment.
“It has only been a few days so it’s not really fair to make judgment yet. We haven’t had too much interaction. Some are a fan of what he’s doing so far, and some aren’t,” Donovan said.
After a sixth-place finish at last year’s Atlantic 10 Championships, the men hope their training can prepare them for a successful season.
“Without the training behind it, you can’t just muscle out a swim. If our training goes well and properly, then we’ll succeed,” said Donovan.
The Bonnies are back in action Oct. 5 at the Colgate Justin Jennings Memorial Invitational in Hamilton, New York.
By Sean Mickey, Staff Writer
mickeys17@bonaventure.edu
