The 2009-10 season was the fourth at Stevens Institute of Technology for Head Swimming Coach Trevor Miele. In his short time in Hoboken, Miele has revitalized both the men’s and women’s programs to national prominence as both teams have turned into two of the top teams in the nation.
In his first season as head coach of the Ducks in 2006-07, Miele led the women’s squad to their fourth Skyline Conference title and a 10th-place showing at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. The 2007 Skyline Conference Coach of the Year, Miele had four student-athletes share Skyline Conference Co-Most Valuable Swimmer honors. Lorrie Brabender went on to become the first Stevens swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships and ultimately earned honorable mention All-America status in the 200-yard butterfly. That same year (2006-07), the men’s program ended up second at the Skyline Championships and eighth at the ECAC‘s.
The Ducks continued to raise the bar under Miele in 2007-08 as the men and women combined to post an 11-1 record in dual meets. At 6-0, the men completed their first-ever unbeaten season and finished fifth at the Empire 8 Championships. Freshman Evan Wilson developed into one of the top swimmers in the nation and qualified for NCAA’s in the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley, and 1,650-yard freestyle and earned honorable mention All-America honors. Miele also helped the Ducks rack up a number of other honors and awards. The women followed up the 2006-07 season with another strong effort in 2007-08 as Miele steered the team to a 5-1 dual-meet record. In their first season in the Empire 8, the Ducks placed fourth overall and had two second-team all-conference selections.
The 2008-09 season was by far the best in the history of both programs. On the men’s side, the team finished 40th nationally and Evan Wilson was the first All-American in the history of the men’s program. The team finished third in the Empire 8 and second at the ECAC Championships as Wilson was named the Swimmer of the Meet at the Empire 8 meet. Eight different men’s swimmers were named All-Conference as the Ducks continued to re-write the program record book.
The women’s team had a remarkable season, taking second at the ECAC’s and second at the conference championships. Seven different swimmers reached the NCAA’s and the Ducks finished 11th in the entire nation. Sophomore Laura Barito was an All-American in two different events (50-yard freestyle, 400-yard freestyle relay) as Stevens swimmers were All-American or honorable mention All-American 13 different times. Freshman Cailin Grunewald was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year after an exceptional performance at the Empire 8 Championships, and nationally, Stevens finished ahead of every other school in the conference. In addition to accomplishments in the pool, senior captain Emily Woo was named the NJAIAW Woman of the Year and was honored with an official Congressional Record from New Jersey Congressman Albio Sires in late February.
In 2009-10 the growth of the program continued and both teams continued to open eyes. The men improved 23 spots from the previous year, taking 17th in the country as freshman John Hu and Wilson were All-Americans. Hu, Wilson, and freshman Alex Benham all competed at the NCAA’s and all three earned some form of All-America accolades. The team won its first-ever Empire 8/UNYSCSA title in impressive fashion over Ithaca College. In 2010, Stevens broke school records in 14-of-19 possible events and also took the top spot at the ECAC Championships. The coaching staff was named the Staff of the Meet at both the ECAC and Empire 8 Championships and the team turned in an undefeated dual-meet ledger for the second time ever. The women turned in their second top-15 finish in as many seasons, placing 12th in the nation at the NCAA’s. Barito was an All-American in the 50-free (fourth place) and 100-free (sixth-place) and once again, the 400-yard freestyle relay team earned All-America honors. Stevens broke 13 school-records, had five athletes earn All-America honors, six earn honorable mention All-America honors, and placed second at the ECAC and Empire 8/UNYSCSA Championships. The women also earned all-conference honors in 16 different events.
Prior to Stevens, Miele served as an assistant coach at New York University for four seasons and produced numerous All-Americans. In 2004-05, he helped lead the Violets to a 9-2 record and their first-ever ECAC Championship. In 2005-06, Miele was part of a team that experienced what was, at that point in time, the greatest season in school history as NYU captured its second-straight ECAC title and finished with an 8-1 mark in dual-meet competition. In the process, the Violets shattered 12 school records and earned their best-ever finish at the University Athletic Association (second place) and NCAA Championships (19th).
Miele graduated from the NYU Stern School of Business in 1999 with a double major in Finance and Marketing. He later received a Master of Science degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Sports Management from Brooklyn College in May 2006. A Dix Hills native, Miele currently resides in Manhattan with his wife, Mary, and two sons, Bryce and Trent.
