LEXINGTON, Ky.? Kentucky men?s and women?s swimming coach Gary Conelly has promoted Shaun Zitani as Associate Head Coach he announced Tuesday.
Zitani is a 2001 graduate of Kentucky and is beginning his second season with UK as an assistant coach. He was a four-year letter winner for the men?s swimming team, and earned All-American honors five times in his career. His name can be found in the UK all-time top-10 list in three events.
?This is very gratifying for our program,? said Conelly. ?For a kid to come up through our program and continue to be a tremendous impact on the coaching side will help us establish this program for years to come.?
As an assistant with the Wildcats, Zitani coaches the sprinters, and he guided Jenny Bradford to school-record times in the 50- and 100-freestyle events in 2006. Bradford earned All-American status when she placed fifth in the 50-free and seventh in the 100-free at the NCAA Championships.
?This is a dream come true,? said Zitani. “I am honored to hold this position, and I promise to represent the Kentucky brand with dignity and class.”
Zitani helped lead an invigorating recruiting effort for the 2006-07 season. The men?s swimming freshmen class is one of the premier classes in the nation, led by Alex Forbes.
?Shaun is an outstanding on-deck coach and a fantastic recruiter,? added Conelly. ?His recruiting efforts will continue to have a lasting effect on the University of Kentucky swimming program.?
Zitani said, “We have a young team and a fabulous staff, and I am anxious to see how we grow together over the next few years.”
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Zitani served three seasons as an assistant swim coach at Indian River Community College in Ft. Pierce, Fla. Zitani helped continue the tradition of excellence for the 31-time national-champion Pioneers, leading Indian River to three national titles while coaching the sprint swimmers to seven national-record finishes.
Zitani?s new status is effective immediately. The Wildcats return to action Friday in a tri-meet with South Carolina and Tennessee held in Columbia, S.C.
