Todd DeSorbo

[upbeat music] I'm Mel Stewart and this is a GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast.

Joining me today, Virginia Head Coach Todd DeSorbo, helping us understand his extraordinary success with his extraordinary talent this summer.

For much of this podcast we focus on the run from Fort Lauderdale Open to the Pan Pacific Championships, particularly Kate Douglas' 24.2 50 free down to the 23.1 generational swim.

We talk about Gretchen Walsh popping off with seven medals, her best performance on an international stage, the biggest medal haul.

Coleman Hodges joins us.

He's our head of production at SwimSwam.

Todd DeSorbo, what's up, buddy? Thanks for coming on the pod.

What's up? It's great to be on the pod.

Um, [laughs] one last piece about the ASCA World Clinic.

Uh, Virginia's Todd DeSorbo, uh, won the ASCA Coach of the Year award for the second year in a row.

Are you sink or swimming that Coach of the Year?

Swim it.

You know, UVA swimmers won three gold medals.

Texas swimmers are, like, by, I guess Bob Bowman's swimmers won one, two? Two gold medals.

Uh, [laughs] yeah, like, I think you can, like, piece it out and go, okay, I, I think it's, like, it's Bob Bowman or Todd DeSorbo.

I have no problem with it being Todd DeSorbo.

Kate Douglas is still trying to process this.

We know this because 12 months ago she sat down with her head coach, Todd DeSorbo, at Virginia, and her goal was to do a PB in the 200 meter breaststroke.

Something happened at the Fort Lauderdale Open, and then six weeks later at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, and then of course later at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine.

Suddenly 50 free and the 100 meter free became very, very important.

Yeah.

For some reason in my brain I think Orlando is almost like the perfect guy for DeSorbo to coach.

Just like give Heilman, who's already shown so many great flashes of what he is capable of, give him a guy who's experienced, who's won a world title, who has been incredible.

Oh, we just got a comment for ASU with Ilia.