Men's Swimming & Diving Head Coach - Rob Welcher

Rob Welcher

Rob Welcher begins his sixth season as the men's and women's swimming and diving coach at UW-Eau Claire. Welcher also serves as an associate professor of kinesiology at UW-Eau Claire.

In 2005 Welcher was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Co-Coach of the Year as the Blugolds finished in third place. Individually Cori Severson finished second in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle while Sarah Myers finished second in three-meter diving. Severson would go on to earn honorable mention All-American honors in the 50-yard freestyle (10th).

Welcher was named the 2002 WIAC Men's Coach of the Year after the Blugolds finished third behind the gold medal performances of Matt Oglesby in the 100 Backstroke and 200 Individual Medley in addition to the 200 and 400 medley relays. That year, Welcher also coached Oglesby to a NCAA Division III Championship in the 100 Backstroke.

Prior to Eau Claire Welcher was a volunteer assistant manager at Arizona State and at the University of Michigan. He has served as a coach at the Wolverine Swim Camp in Michigan and the Longhorn Swim Camp at the University of Texas. He spent four and a half years in Seattle, Washington, working most of that time with the Rainier Valley Swim Club. He was head swim coach at Rainier Beach High School for two years, was a recreation league coach and was an age group swim coach. He also served as a water aerobics, water exercise and Red Cross swim lessons instructor and a pool lifeguard/supervisor in Seattle.

Born in Walton, New York, Welcher grew up in a military family, finishing high school in Sidney, New York after starting at George Washington High School in Denver, Colorado. He did his undergraduate work at Potsdam College in New York, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a dance minor. He received his master's degree in kinesiology from Michigan in 1997 and has been a university graduate scholar at Arizona State University since 1997, where he continues to work on his Ph.D. in exercise science.

Welcher was named the Departmental Scholar in math at Potsdam, received the Division Scholarship in Kinesiology at Michigan and the Outstanding Teacher Assistant Award at ASU.

At Potsdam Welcher was part of a school and conference record-setting 200 medley relay team as a backstroker. He received the Maxcy-Molnar Scholar Athlete Award at Potsdam.

Welcher's coaching philosophy involves "keeping the atmosphere fun and positive while keeping high expectations as the guiding focus." He adds that "While I cannot be solely responsible for each athlete's attitude and ability to gain enjoyment from the team and training environment, I lead the way by being responsible for my own attitude and enjoyment." While others may evaluate his success based on swimmers' times, places at meets and a win-loss record, Welcher said his personal measurement of his success will include "the success of my athletes as people once they leave my program."

Updated 9/28/05