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RFH 2010

Colgate Hires U of M Assistant as Swim Coach

Tue, Aug 17, 2010

Colgate Hires U of M Assistant as Swim Coach

Colgate Athletic Director Dave Roach has announced the hiring of Fernando Canales (on the right in the photo) as the head men's and women's swimming and diving coach.

Canales comes to Colgate from the University of Michigan where he served two stints as an assistant coach from 1982-87 and 2006-08, before serving as the Development Officer for Athletics.

"I'm excited to have someone of Fernando's experience in NCAA competition along with international waters join the Colgate family," stated Roach. "To have somebody with his knowledge of swimming and have worked work with some of the best coaches and swimmers in the country is going to be great for our Colgate student-athletes."

"I humbly accept the position as Colgate's head coach of men's and women's swimming and diving," said Canales. "Coaching is my lifelong passion and I look forward to working with the outstanding young adults that are the essence of Colgate University and its swimming and diving program."

From 2006-08, Canales served as the head assistant coach at Michigan under assistant Olympic coach Bob Bowman. During that time Canales helped three swimmers capture back-to-back NCAA national championships along with guiding the team to the 2008 Big Ten title.

"Teaching my students to make the world a better place on a daily basis, in addition to humbly win at every level in academics, personal growth, social and civic responsibilities while they own the Patriot League podium are the most important attributes that I will bring to Colgate," stated Canales.

From 1990-92, Canales was the head coach of swimming, diving and water polo at the University of California-Santa Cruz. In two seasons he coached five NCAA Division III Championship qualifiers and one All-American while his students earned 14 academic all-Conference awards.

As an athlete, Canales was a four-year All-American at Michigan, where he graduated with a degree in education and exercise physiology in 1982. During his career, he won 12 Big Ten Championship titles, including four straight 100-yard freestyle titles. He also represented Puerto Rico on three Olympic Teams (1976, '80, '84) and was inducted into the Puerto Rico National Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Source: Colgate

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