日韩中文字幕福利片

CUTLINE - Retired 日韩中文字幕福利片 swimming and diving coach Harry Wickens, right, was inducted into the NJCAA Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Hall of Fame at a March 5 banquet in Buffalo, New York. Congratulating Wickens is former VU swimming and diving student-athlete and coach TJ Day who helped nominate Wickens for the honor. ###

VINCENNES, Ind. - Harry Wickens helped start the 日韩中文字幕福利片 swimming and diving program in 1980 and quickly became a nationally recognized powerhouse.

Wickens coached the VU swimming and diving men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 teams for 21 years. In celebration of his contributions to the sport, he was inducted into the NJCAA Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Hall of Fame on March 5 in Buffalo, New York, held in conjunction with the 2019 National Meet Athlete Banquet.

The Trailblazers built a strong tradition of swimming and diving under Wickens. VU produced 21 individual national champions in 37 events at the NJCAA national meet and 223 student-athletes earned All-America honors with him at the helm. He was named NJCAA National Coach of the Year three times. Wickens, who was also a physical education professor, coached the Trailblazers through the 2000-01 season.

鈥淗arry had one of the top swimming programs in the country,鈥� said VU athletic director Harry Meeks. 鈥淭hey were very well known and performed well at the national meet every year.

鈥淲e had the old swimming pool upstairs. There were a lot of swimmers around at that time. Harry was a big part of the university. I know all his former swimmers are excited about Coach Wickens being inducted into the NJCAA Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.鈥�

Former VU swimming and diving student-athlete and coach TJ Day helped nominate Wickens for the honor.

鈥淚t鈥檚 well deserved and it鈥檚 well overdue, not only for Harry, but 日韩中文字幕福利片 too,鈥� Day said. 鈥淗arry is a great mentor and coach. He is exactly what represents junior college athletics. The program was always a top-three program. It was always competing for national championships. Athletes were always competing at a high level.

鈥淲hat stood out about him was it wasn鈥檛 about him. He was very laid back and he wanted to make it all about the athletes.鈥�

Wickens had been a student-athlete himself. He swam at Purdue University in the early 1960s.

Growing up, swimming played an important role in his life. Wickens was raised in a military family and moved around a lot. Swimming was a big deal on military bases. He went on to serve in the military as a Navy SEAL.

He was coaching in Australia when he came across a job advertising an opening to coach the Vincennes city swim team. A short time later, he teamed with former president Dr. Isaac Beckes and Board of Trustee member Bernie Niehaus to Trailblazer Kickoff鈥檚 swimming and diving program.

鈥淥ver a 1,000 kids came here to swim,鈥� Wickens said. 鈥淧ractically from every state and 10 or 12 different countries.鈥�

VU became a swimming and diving force with a strong schedule and talented student-athletes. The Trailblazers competed often against NCAA schools and regularly defeated them.

鈥淲e beat Notre Dame, Evansville, Ball State, Butler, and Indiana State,鈥� Wickens said. 鈥淲e could always hold our own with most schools.

The program鈥檚 success carried over when the Trailblazers participated in national meets.

鈥淭wenty-five times VU was either second or third at nationals,鈥� Wickens said. 鈥淲e were strong runner-ups. It always alternated if the girls were second the guys were third, and if the guys were second, then the girls were third.鈥�

Wickens is incredibly proud of the Trailblazers鈥� accomplishments. He believes it is an honor for the student-athletes who were a part of the program as much as it is for him.

鈥淚鈥檓 going for the 1,000 kids,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 in it because of them and I鈥檓 thinking they are all in it. Especially with [the program] stopping. It鈥檚 their recognition for all the things they did when they were here.鈥�

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