EMORY, Va. – Dave Griffore, a former Division I head and assistant swim coach will assume the duties of Head Women's Swimming Coach/Aquatics Coordinator at Emory & Henry College later this fall, Director of Athletics Myra Sims announced Friday.
Griffore has 10 years of Division I coaching experience, and 12 years of experience in aquatics facility management. Griffore will be the first full-time head coach at Emory & Henry, and is part of an increased commitment to intercollegiate women's swimming at the College.
"I am extremely excited to build a championship swimming program at Emory & Henry College. I feel E&H has everything in place to attract great student-athletes," said Griffore. "I look forward to getting the word out about this truly unique college."
Griffore spent one season as the Head Assistant Swimming Coach for men and women at The Pennsylvania State University. While at Penn State, Griffore helped lead that squad to a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, and trained 11 swimmers who qualified for NCAA nationals.
He was the Head Swimming & Diving Coach for both men and women at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2006-2008. He led the women's team to its best finish ever at the Horizon League Championships. Griffore recruited and coached the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, led the team to new school and conference records in several events, and coached one swimmer to the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Griffore also spent six seasons as the Associate Head Swim Coach for men and women at Eastern Michigan University. The men's program won five consecutive Mid-America Conference Championships and the women won their first ever MAC Championship.
"We are so incredibly fortunate to find a women's swim coach with Dave's quality and quantity of coaching experience. He is passionate about the sport and is committed to building a nationally competitive program here at E&H. He has connections in the swimming world that should allow us to recruit effectively, and move the program forward very quickly." Sims goes on to say, "He also has significant experience in managing aquatics facilities, so I'm confident that we will be able to enhance all areas of our pool operations."
Griffore was a three-time high school All-American swimmer in Minnesota and was state champion in the 50-yard freestyle. He swam at University of New Mexico where he was a seven-time Western Athletic Conference champion, setting three school records in the process.
Griffore is currently an Admissions Counselor at Emory & Henry and will transition into his new role in athletics gradually during fall 2011. He will begin recruiting for the team immediately, but will assume the new duties on a full-time basis as of November.
He and his wife, Kazi, currently reside in Damascus, Va. Griffore's father-in-law, Tim Murr, is a volunteer assistant with the E&H Cross Country teams.
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