HEAD COACH DAVE DENNISTON |
Dave Denniston begins his seventh season as head coach of the University of Wyoming swimming & diving program. He was announced as the new head coach of the program on April 21, 2017.
Dave Denniston begins his seventh season as head coach of the University of Wyoming swimming & diving program. He was announced as the new head coach of the program on April 21, 2017.Prior to being names head man, Denniston spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Wyoming. He arrived at UW after coaching the U.S. Paralympics swim team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs since 2010.
For his sixth year with the team, the Cowgirls logged a top-three finish at the Mountain West Conference Championships, placing third. The Cowboys took fourth at the Western Athletic Conference Championships. Overall, the women's team went 5-7 in dual meets, 2-3 in league, while the men went 2-3 overall and 1-2 in conference. Maisyn Klimczak became a MWC champion, claiming a title in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Her time, and the 1,000-yard split, was a new school record, as she was one of two swimmers, Gavin Smith being the other in the 100-yard butterfly, to post a school record time during the 2022-23 season.
For his fifth year with the program, the Cowboys and Cowgirls both enjoyed top-half finishes at the respective conference championships. The Cowboys placed third at the Western Athletic Conference Championships and the Cowgirls took fourth at the Mountain West Conference Championships. The Cowgirls went 4-4-1 and 1-2 in conference, while the Cowboys went 2-5 overall and 0-2 in league. Katelyn Blattner became a three-time conference champ in both the 200- and 500-yard freestyles en route to being named Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the Meet. Melissa Mirafuentes defended her platform championship at conference and qualifed to her third NCAA Championships and was named second-team All-American.
In his fourth year with the program, the Cowgirls went 6-3 in dual meets, while the Cowboys finished 1-5. The women's team finished fourth at the Mountain West Conference Championships and the men's team took third at the Western Athletic Conference Championships. Katelyn Blattner successfully defended both her 200- and 500-yard freestyle conference titles. Melissa Mirafuentes won conference in platform, earned MWC Diver of the Meet honors and was named All-American for the second consecutive season.
During his the third year at UW, the Cowgirls went 8-2 in dual action which included wins over conference rivals Air Force, Colorado State and UNLV. As a team, they combined 903 points to place third at the Mountain West Championship. Katelyn Blattner took home two-conference titles in the 200 and 500 freestyle. She eclipsed the school record in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:45.39 and moved in to second in the 200 free in a time of 1:47.35. Hannah Mclean-Leonard broke her own school record with a time of 52.70 to place second. Diver Melissa Mirafuentes won the platform and was named the MW Championship Diver of the Meet. She also broke the school record in the event. Eight individuals and 15 marks were either improved upon or in to the Top 10. Six Cowgirls earned All-Mountain West honors for their efforts. Two individuals were named MW swimmer of the week and two Cowgirls earned MW diver of the week honors.
On the Cowboys side, they would finish the year with a 4-1 record in duals which included wins over Air Force and Cal Baptist. The team finished fourth at the 2020 Western Athletic Conference Championship with 529 points. 12 individuals were either named First or Second Team All-Conference while five relay teams were honored. Junior Brayden Love took home a conference title in the 200 butterfly with a school best time of 47.06. Grant Sloan missed the school record in the 50 freestyle by four tenths of a second with a time of 19.89. During the year, Mitchell Hovis qualified for the Olympic Time Trials in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Hovis ranks ninth all-time in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:58.81 and tenth in the 100 with a mark of 54.39. 11 individuals and 15 events had records improved upon or moved in to.
In 2018-19, the program continued to make strides in the pool. The Cowgirls went 9-4 in dual action which included wins over conference rivals Air Force and Colorado State. As a team, they combined 743.50 points to place sixth at the Mountain West Championship. Isobel Ryan claimed her first career title in the 100 backstroke with a career-best time of 52.66. Mclean-Leonard eclipsed the school and her career record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.96 at the meet. Six Cowgirls earned All-Mountain West honors for their efforts. Two individuals were named MW swimmer of the week and two Cowgirls earned MW diver of the week honors.
For the Cowboys, they would finish the year with a 5-3 record in duals which included wins over Air Force, Cal Baptist and UNLV. The team finished with 604 points to take home third place at the Western Athletic Conference Championship. Seth Borgert claimed his first title with a victory in the 1,650 freestyle with a career-best mark of 15:25.97. Newcomer Ryan Netzel was named the WAC Freshman of the Year at the 2019 Championships. He finished with a second place finish in the 1,650 freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle. 14 individuals were either named First or Second Team All-Conference while four relay teams were honored. Senior Ryan Russi finished in the top three in the all three boards and was named WAC Diver of the Week four times during the year.
It was a successful campaign for the program during the 2017-18 season. The Cowboys finished 4-1 overall in dual action including wins over Air Force, Colorado School of Mines, Grand Canyon and UNLV. As a team, they combined for a total of 851 points to claim the 2018 Western Athletic Conference championship. It was the school’s first conference title since the 1959 season when they were a part of the Skyline Conference. Wade Nelson claimed the 400 individual medley title while Scotia Mullen came away with victories in the 1-meter and platform events. For his efforts, Denniston would take home WAC Coach of the Year honors in just his first season.
On the Cowgirls side, they would go 4-6 in dual action which included a wins over Colorado State and Denver. At the Mountain West Championships, UW would place fourth with 981 points. Samantha Burke took home her first MW conference in the 100 backstroke. Diver Karla Contreras placed second on all three boards and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. She would place ninth on the platform and earn Honorable Mention All-American honors.
In 2005, Denniston was injured in a sledding accident and then went on to qualify for the 2008 Paralympic games. Denniston started a motivational speaking company called Mind Over Body. It was created to help people reach their goals despite barriers in life. He has also spent time as an Assistant Editor for Swimming World Magazine. He was awarded the NCAA Inspiration award in 2007, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Inspiration award in 2009 and James R. Flowers Coach of the Year award in 2012 while coach of the U.S. Paralympic team.
Denniston was a member of the Auburn University swim program from 1997-2002. A two-time team captain at Auburn, he was a three-time individual NCAA champion, including the 1999 national title in the 200-meter breaststroke. Denniston was a 15-time All-American and also helped lead the Tigers to the 1999 NCAA Team Championship.
He competed in the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200-meters, where he finished sixth and ninth, respectively. In 2003, he qualified for the World Championship Team in the 200-meter breaststroke before he primarily focused on qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. He finished fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke and fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Olympic Trails.
Denniston is a 2002 graduate of Auburn where he earned a bachelor's degree in communications and a minor in English.