(WOLFVILLE, N.S.) - The Acadia University men's and women's swim teams will return to the pool this fall with a new head coach. While the news of the departure of former head coach Chris Stone came suddenly to the local swimming community, his work in creating a competitive program after its return six years ago will not go unmatched. Former Dalhousie Tiger swim team head coach and Acadia alumnus David Fry will take over the program for the 2014-15 season.
Stone, who was hired in 2009 and given the task of resurrecting a program that had been eliminated in 1994, had his most successful season this past year with a combined women's and men's standing of third overall at the AUS championship meet. The men's team completed the AUS championship weekend in second place, while the women finished fourth.
A final medal count from the 2014 Subway AUS Swimming Championships included six gold medals, seven silver medals and four bronze medals and eclipsed last season's results - the highest amount since the return of the program. Under Stone's leadership, swimmers Hayden Adams, Kristen MacPherson and Luc Boudreau advanced to the CIS championship meet. Boudreau won silver in the 200m breaststroke.
Stone will head west to Fort McMurray, Alta. to become the head coach of the Fort McMurray Manta Swim Club, effective Sept. 1. "It was an incredibly difficult decision to leave, but my time here at Acadia will always be a career highlight for me," said Stone, "not because of the wins, but because of the people I was able to work with, in and out of the water."
"I consider myself to have been very lucky to have been a part of such a storied program in this new phase of its history, and of the lives of such an exceptional group of young men and women," he added. "I'm very excited about the new opportunities for me ahead, and owe a huge thank you to Kevin Dickie, Dr. Conor Vibert and Brian Heaney for bringing the swim program back to Acadia and supporting me as the head coach during my time here."
Kevin Dickie, Acadia's director of athletics, was proud of Stone's accomplishments during his short time at the helm of the Acadia swim program. "Acadia University thanks Chris Stone for the tremendous job he has done resurging and energizing our swim program. I know he will go on to have a great coaching career and we wish him the best of luck with his new appointment in Alberta," said Dickie. "As difficult as it is to lose a young coach of Chris's calibre, to have David Fry become a part of our Acadia family in such a short period of time is almost unbelievable."
Stone will be replaced for the 2014-15 season by veteran swim coach David Fry. Fry, who retired from the Dalhousie Tigers swim program in 2012, brings a wealth of experience. The Acadia Alumnus took the helm of Dalhousie University's men's and women's varsity swim programs in 1998. He was also acting head coach the Tigers in the 1981-82 and 1992-93 seasons before taking over the program.
David led the Tigers to 30 out of a possible 32 AUS titles in his sixteen seasons as head coach. His women's squad finished fourth at the 2003 CIS championship and the men were third at the 2008 CIS championship. He guided Chris Stewart to a CIS gold medal in the 50m breaststroke and coached Kiera Aitken to three CIS medals in backstroke. He was named CIS men's swimming coach of the year in 2008 and women's coach of the year in 2003. He has been named Dalhousie's coach of the year a record five times in 1993, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2012.
Fry's development of many Nova Scotian and Dalhousie swimmers over his career ended in fine fashion by helping to coach David Sharpe to the 2012 Canadian Olympic team. David began his coaching career after graduating from Acadia University in 1972 with a bachelor of arts degree. He went on to earn his bachelor of education degree from Queen's University in 1973. In 1977, he completed his Masters degree in coaching science at Lakehead University and in 1998 he received his law degree from Dalhousie Law School.
Dickie is thrilled with the direction that Fry can offer to an up-and-coming program. "Not only is David an Acadia alumnus, to many of us throughout the AUS, he is so tremendously respected as a coach, teacher and as a person," he said. "David's history has been about producing perennial national top ten programs, national and Olympic caliber swimmers, and most importantly very good people. David Fry's interest in coaching the Acadia swimming team is a springboard for our whole department as we head into the fall season."
Fry, who grew up in the Annapolis Valley, is itching to get back on the pool deck after a short retirement. "When I retired from Dalhousie in 2012 as varsity swimming coach, I expected that to be it as far as my coaching career. So after rekindling a desire to get back to coaching I was excited by the opportunity to coach the varsity men's and women's teams at Acadia," he said. "For me it is like going home. I was a varsity swimmer for four years there, my family is in the area and always admired the value shown to varsity sport and excellence by the university. I am excited to get back on the pool deck."
The AUS swim season begins on the Oct. 17-18 weekend with Acadia University's hosting of the Jack Scholz Memorial Swim Meet.
Source: Acadia Sports Information