Head Coach Frank Keefe

Coach Frank Keefe enters his 25th year as head coach of Yale's Swimming and Diving Programs. Throughout his tenure at Yale, Keefe has successfully forged Yale Swimming's prestigious and illustrious past with his own unique drive for excellence and achievement. Keefe's undying commitment to the program and his sincere love of Yale Swimming is the driving force behind both teams' success. In 2002, the Eli men went 14-1 and the women 13-1. Keefe's overall record at Yale is 347-166. 2002 was a milestone for Yale Swimming as the men's program captured their 1000th win at the historic Harvard-Yale-Princeton tri-meet in February. Through Frank's leadership and skill both teams have successfully emerged as contenders in their respective conferences.

Keefe, a 1960 graduate of Villanova, took over the men's program in 1978 and the women in 1980. In the past decade, Keefe has been the recipient of the EISL Coach of the Year award twice. In the past year the women's Ivy League named a trophy after him, citing his drive for excellence and acievement. Besides an extensive colligate background, Keefe boasts extensive international experience. One of the most respected figures in American Swimming, Keefe served as U.S. assistant coach in the 1984 Olympics and head manager at the 1988 Olympic games. Previously, Keefe served as U.S. head coach at the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games, and assistant coach at the 1978 World Championships.

Before coaching at Yale, Keefe already coached nine Olympic swimmers. Among them were gold medallist Carl Robie and silver medallist Tim McKee. More recently, Frank coached George Gleason ('00) and Stephen Fahy ('00) to the 2000 Olympic games where they represented the Virgin Islands and Bermuda, respectively. Keefe is a member both the Villanova and state of Pennsylvania Halls of Fame.

Keefe is a native of East Haven, Conn., where he is also was enshrined in its Hall of Fame. Keefe and his wife, Kathleen, have four children.

Assistant Coach Tim Wise

Wise has returned for his fifth year after serving as the head coach at Southern Connecticut in 1995 and 1996.  He also has been an assistant coach at Texas A&M and Arizona State.  A Wethersfield, Conn., native, Wise is a 1993 graduate of Southern Connecticut where he was a New England Championship finalist three years in a row and set numerous school records.  Wise also has been active in U.S. Swimming, serving as an assistant coach for the Omni Swim Club and the Hamden-North Haven, Conn., Swim Club.

Diving Coach Jim Pyrch

Pyrch, an All-America diver at Southern Connecticut State (1972-76), joined the Yale staff as diving coach in 1982.  Prior to arriving in New Haven, he served as an assistant at Northern Iowa and head coach at Fairfield.  Pyrch also coached the U.S. Diving team at competitions in Lipsig, East Germany, the Soviet Union and China in the summer of 1990.  In 1991, he served as head diving coach for the U.S. at the World Age Group Championships in Sweden.  He also was a coach at the 1993 Olympic Festival.  Presently, he is the head coach of J.P. Divers, where outstanding students Eilleen Richitelli and Grant Gritzmacher are under his tutelage.