Kumbier enters his fifth year as the head coach for the Gators, and his seventh year with the program. After numerous school records have fallen during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Kumbier has the Gators in prime position to rise among the ranks of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in the immediate future.
Matthew Nardozzi set new program bests at the 2017 NCAC Championships. His time of 16:03.82 in the 1650 set a Gator record and helped him finish in sixth. His 1000 split of 9:38.81 also marked a new program best. Nardozzi also set a program best in the 400 IM with a time of 4:05.82. On the women’s side, Brionna Litwin earned All-NCAC honors with a third place finish in the three meter dive. Both her and Rachel Steiner competed at the NCAC Diving Regionals.
A pair of new program standards were set in the 2015-16 season. On the men's side, freshman Matthew Nardozzi clocked in at 4:07.59 in the 400 IM at the Kenyon "Fast Chance" Invitational to establish a new school record, breaking the 1989 mark set by Patrick Stewart. A 25-year-old record fell in the women's three-meter dive on Jan. 16 against Case Western Reserve, as Erica Salizzoni scored a 479.00 across her 11 attempts to top two-time national champion Melissa Moody's score of 471.60, which once stood as an NCAA Division III record.
The 2014-15 season saw three school records fall on the women’s side, as the Gators set over 100 personal bests under Kumbier’s leadership. Freshman Julianne Reed set a pair of program marks at the 2015 NCAC Championships, posting a school record 58.67 in the 100 back as part of the 400-medley relay in the prelims. Reed would later swim the individual 100 fly in 58.10 during the finals, setting another record in the process. A week later at the 2015 Kenyon “Fast Chance” Meet, sophomore Megan Feeney would set a program mark in the 200 back, besting a near-20 year old record with a 2:04.80, setting the Gators’ third school record of the season.
The 2011 graduate of NCAA perennial powerhouse Kenyon College has displayed considerable experience as both an athlete and coach, and his appointment continues to serve as a tremendous asset for the Gators’ burgeoning competitive spirit both in and out of the pool.
In the spring of 2014 the men’s and women’s teams both earned College Swimming Coaches’ Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-American team honors with both the men’s and women’s teams repeating during the fall of 2014 semester.
During the 2013-14 season, Kumbier led the Gators to over 150 personal bests, leading a staff that procured four NCAA qualifying times or scores and the 2013-14 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Diving Coach of the Year in Fred Evanoff.
In his four years at Allegheny, Kumbier has helped over 10 Gators achieve over 20 NCAA National qualifying marks, including Mirno Pasquali ’12 (200 back 1:49.54) and Brandon Intrieri ’13 (100 fly 49.45, 50 free 20.76) who, in the 2011-2012 season, earned spots at the national championships. That year Intrieri tacked on his third All-American honor with his 13th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Pasquali earned his spot in Indianapolis after logging a scalding 1:49.91 in the 200 back at the 2011-12 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships, finishing second while setting a new program record in the process. He then lowered it to 1:49.54 with a 16th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Most recently, Feeney’s 200 Back from the end of the season surpassed the NCAA qualifying mark when she eclipsed the record. In his time coaching at Allegheny, Kumbier has helped five Gators earn All-Conference performances while overall Kumbier has coached Gator student-athletes to over 425 personal bests during the past four seasons, with four athletes setting six new program records
Additionally, Kumbier has spent the last three summers as a counselor for the Salo Swim Camp at the University of Southern California, home to the 2015 Men’s PAC-12 swimming and diving champions. In 2013, Kumbier was named the Head Coach-Counselor for the camps and has worked under Coach Salo and the Trojan staff and alongside Division I and Division III coaches and athletes, as well as national and international, elite swimmers and Olympians. At camps, Kumbier coaches 100-130 athletes per week, and has coached international campers from Russia, South Africa, Japan, England, India, Denmark and Italy.
In 2012, Kumbier served as a counselor for the Wolverine Swim Camp in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he worked with over 200 athletes at Michigan’s facility, home of the 2013 Men’s Division I National Champions. Kumbier has also worked the Elite Breastroke and Comprehensive Camps at the Total Performance Camps in Gambier, Ohio, working with legendary Kenyon head coach Jim Steen. He also served three summers as an assistant swim coach at Ann Arbor Country Club from 2009 to 2011 to kick start his career.
As an athlete, Kumbier was a five-time national qualifier who finished among the top eight at the NCAC Championships in the 200 breaststroke on three separate occasions, placing fourth in 2008 and 2011 while finishing among the top eight twice in the 100 breaststroke, placing as high as fifth. In 2011, he was presented with the Stephen E. Bennett Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the Kenyon senior who has consistently supported the program in devotion to training and competition.
As a student at Kenyon, Kumbier majored in Mathematics with a focus on Abstract Algebra while also earning a minor in Studio Art. Kumbier earned CSCAA Academic All-American Honorable Mention awards his sophomore, junior and senior year. Kumbier also has a M.Ed. with an education in Educational and Counseling Psychology and a focus in Positive Coaching from the University of Missouri. The unique program is a fusion of Sport and Positive Psychology.
*Updated 6/16/17
