By Harold Flickinger ’07

Head Coach Tim Verge is focused on his swimmers at a recent practice. Besides concern for their swimming, Tim also focuses on their classroom performances.

“Red Raiders in a state of war!” As the echoes bounce off the natatorium walls, the SHIP swimmers prepare for another exciting competition.

T his is how the team starts every meet. And it is how Head Coach Tim Verge ’89 started his meets as a Red Raider. Verge was a member of the Raiders swim team from ’86-89 during some of the finest seasons in school history.

After graduating from Ship with his B.A. in psychology, Tim moved directly into coaching as an assistant at Edinboro University. He followed that with assistant positions at Northern Arizona and Arizona State universities. His first head-coaching job was in 1995 at Ashland University (Ohio). He left there to become the Raiders head coach in 1998. “I just really love the sport. I like the discipline, the dedication, and challenges. I love that feeling of competing,” he said about his career choice.

In nine years at the helm of the Raider swim teams, Tim boasts NCAA Division II National qualifiers each year for both men and women and has added thirty-six All-Americans. Eleven new university records have been set, several swimmers have cracked into the program’s top-ten lists, and both teams are annual contenders in the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference).

Coach Verge keeps his swimmers on task in the classroom as well. He is proud both teams are consistently awarded NCAA Academic Team All-American awards by the College Swimming Coaches Association. In Spring 2006, the women had the fourth highest GPA of any Division II swimming team while the men ranked 15th. Both were the highest of any PSAC university.

With Tim’s knowledge of what it takes to become a success in and out of the pool, it’s no surprise his swimmers walk away with the skills and expertise that lead them to the forefront of their chosen fields. Three of Verge’s former swimmers have followed in his footsteps and are now coaching at the collegiate level.

According to Tim, the profession is very competitive and with former athletes being tapped for coaching positions, “It is a great sign of respect for [our] program and the kind of program we run.”

Dave Geyer ’99-’01M

Dave Geyer ’99-’01m was a three-time All-American in his sophomore season and team captain during his senior year. He swam individual medley events and relays, and in his final year of competition, won the 200-medley relay at the PSAC championships.

After graduating, Dave entered Ship’s graduate program in counseling. Tim, confident of Geyer’s maturity and skills as a leader, offered him the job as his assistant, coaching students who were previously his teammates. “Dave was a great decision maker,” Tim recalled, “and the athletes respected him.”'

Dave admitted coaching wasn’t something he planned on pursuing, but once the idea was presented, he instantly fell in love with the idea of being a collegiate coach. Now an assistant coach and recruiter for Louisiana State University, Dave reflected on his coaching experiences as Tim’s assistant. “The life lessons he taught me those two years carry on with me still as I try to instill the same thoughts and beliefs into athletes that I saw him do.”

Dave lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, Lyndi Croft ’01, also a former Raider swimmer who was an All-American and school record holder.

Erin Goodhart ’04

Tim taught Erin Goodhart ’04 a valuable lesson in her freshman year about never giving up. In high school, Erin felt she only swam her best during morning races, and would relax as the day went on until she developed a habit of taking it easy in her afternoon races. This changed quickly when she made an NCAA cut in a morning session of the 500 freestyle. After the cut, she blew off her other race, and Tim explained the consequences if she continued with that attitude.

“He didn’t demand you perform 100 percent all of the time. Instead he made you want to do that so you could be a great athlete.”

The lesson about toughness as a racer and becoming a good competitor paid off.

By the end of her career, Erin had set the school records for the 200, 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle—all of which remain unbroken today. She was also a four-time PSAC champion and multiple All-American who finished third in the nation in 2004 in two of her events. Tim said, “Erin completely changed distance swimming on the woman’s side, and represented the program well.” Erin responded, “I may not have been a perfect leader for the program, or the best of students in the classroom, but I always approached training and performing with a type of determination I think Coach would say he was proud of.”

Erin considered either sports information or coaching as careers. But it wasn’t until she was offered an assistant position while attending grad school at Texas Christian University that she chose coaching. She realized “coaching is the next best thing to competing and even more gratifying in some instances.” '

She’s currently an assistant coach at Kutztown University, and competes against her old coach and friend. “I often use the same approach to swimming that Coach Verge used. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got the fastest lane or the best suit. What matters is you get up there and race hard and race tough.”

Jake Shellenberger ’05

Jake Shellenberger ’05 swam the breaststroke and sprint freestyle as a Red Raider. A history major, he was a regular member of the Dean’s List, an Academic All-American, and a four-time PSAC qualifier. He was also a coach.

During his freshman year, Jake was offered an assistant position with the Mount Joy Swim Team in Lancaster. It was on his first day as coach he came to the conclusion, “this is what I want to do and this is where I need to be.” Next Jake moved on to Trident Swim Club where, as assistant head coach, he worked with senior-level athletes, Division I recruits, PIAA district and state champions, and Olympic qualifiers, helping hone their skills as swimmers and his own as a leader.

Jake also spent time as an assistant coach at Chambersburg Area High School while swimming for the Red Raiders. And while he balanced a seemingly impossible schedule of academics, competing, and coaching, Jake said of his career decision, “I think when you truly know [what you’re supposed to do], and you know it’s God’s plan in your life, the rest of the pieces fall into place.”

His time with Chambersburg and the Trident Club solidified a reputation that got him noticed by the head coach at Penn State. With Tim’s recommendation and encouragement, Jake accepted the offer.

“Jake’s best qualities are his loyalty, and he’s a great team player,” Tim said. As for Jake, he believes his experiences at Ship and “the academic and athletic lessons I learned have helped me to become a better person and a better coach.”

Of his once swimmers and now colleagues, Tim remarked, “They’re young and blessed to be in these collegiate situations as coaches. It will be exciting to watch their careers grow, see what new levels they can take their own teams, and see what great swimmers will come out of their programs.”

Meanwhile, another team of Raider swimmers take to the pool placing themselves under Tim’s capable guidance.

Harold Flickinger ’07, an intern with the magazine, is an English major with a technical writing minor.