Courtney Bartholomew had a stellar freshman season at the University of Virginia.
The Holland native qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships and swam to top-10 performances in two events.
Bartholomew reached these heights under the tutelage of Virginia coach Mart Bernardino, but with the announcement of Bernardino's retirement, she is looking forward to reaching more goals with a new coach.
Virginia announced the hiring of Augie Busch, the former Houston women's coach, to lead the Cavaliers.
"Mark was a wonderful coach," Bartholomew said. "He installed great value in every one of his swimmers. He taught us to do everything with class. That is what made him a great coach. As good as it was to swim for Mark, I am excited for this opportunity to swim for a new coach."
Bartholomew helped lead Virginia to its sixth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship. Bernardino coached the Cavaliers for 35 years and has won 27 ACC titles.
"I am glad they hired someone already so we can look forward to the season," Bartholomew said. "I know he has been a good coach everywhere he has been."
In his two seasons at Houston, Busch led the Cougars to a fourth-place finish in Conference USA in 2012 and to a program-best second-place league showing last season.
?After doing the research to find a great fit and the type of coach best positioned to take over the Virginia swimming and diving program, there is no question in my mind that Augie Busch is someone who is uniquely qualified,? Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage said. ?His background with top-ranked college programs, conference and NCAA champions and Olympic-level swimmers have all prepared him to build on our programs' success at Virginia.?
At Houston, Busch, 37, improved the profile of the Cougars athletically and academically. The Cougars recorded personal-best times in 90 percent of their swims and broke seven school records in 2013 while achieving a program-best 3.42 team GPA.
?It is with tremendous excitement and enthusiasm that I accept the head coaching position for this prestigious program,? Busch said. ?I am so grateful to Mr. Littlepage and his staff for believing I?m the person to lead these awesome teams. Mark Bernardino did an amazing job lifting UVa Swimming to the highest level and I have the utmost respect for him and what he has accomplished. It is my goal to build upon what he has created and take the program to even greater heights. Over time, I?m confident we will be able to accomplish this. Moving forward, I can?t wait to be a part of Virginia Swimming and cannot wait to get started.?
Before Houston, Busch was a highly-successful assistant coach at Arizona for eight seasons (2003-2011), where the Wildcats earned 15 top-five NCAA finishes, more than any other program during that period.
At Arizona, Busch worked primarily with the backstroke and individual medley swimmers while also serving as the program?s recruiting coordinator.
That will be good for Bartholomew, who is a former three-time state champion and U.S. Olympic trials qualifier in the backstroke.
Busch is the son of current USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch, who was a six-time NCAA Coach of the Year.
"That might provide some good resources for us," Bartholomew said.
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