CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Canisius head swimming and diving coach Scott Vanderzell announced Monday that Travis Wright and Greg Staebell will join the Golden Griffin staff for the 2018-19 season. Wright will take over as the program’s diving coach, while Staebell will serve as a graduate assistant and will work with the team’s swimmers.
Wright, the first six-time MAAC Diving champion and a three-time MAAC Diver of the Year, replaces former diving coach Ian O’Rourke, who recently left Canisius for a similar position at Purdue. Wright won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving championships at the 2018 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships in Buffalo, making him the first diver in conference history to win both conference titles in three-straight years.
“Travis has been an outstanding diver and representative for our program here the last three years, and I believe his experience and knowledge will be very beneficial to our program,” Vanderzell said. “Travis is replacing a very accomplished coach in Ian O’Rourke, but I am confident that he will step in and help us continue to build and grow our diving program here at Canisius.”
Staebell, a native of Williamsville, N.Y., graduated from Canisius in May with his undergraduate degree in finance. As a four-year letterwinner with the program, he closed out his career as the Griffs’ all-time record holder in the 200-yard backstroke, with a time of 1:49.95, set at the 2018 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships in Buffalo. A three-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team, Staebell is also a member of the program’s record-holding 400-yard medley relay team.
“Greg will be making the transition from student-athlete to coach this season, and he offers a lot of swimming and coaching experience to our staff,” Vanderzell said. “His familiarity with our program and the College will certainly be an asset. We will have a large number of newcomers joining the program this season, so his time here as a student-athlete will benefit our program as we continue to move up in the MAAC.”
The Canisius men’s swimming and diving team placed fourth at the 2018 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships, the program’s sixth-straight top-five finish at the conference’s championship event. The women’s swimming and diving program also finished fourth at the 2018 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships, while the diving team saw a school-record seven divers earn a trip to the 2018 NCAA Zone A Championships.