| As a
member of the Northwest Conference, Pacific Lutheran
competes on a weekly basis against outstanding NCAA
Division III competition. For 29 seasons, Coach
Jim Johnson's teams have been up to the challenge.
For example, when PLU was part of the NAIA, the
Lute women finished in the top 10 at nationals 18
consecutive seasons.
 Pacific
Lutheran's national success is more than mirrored
at the conference level. Pacific Lutheran won the
conference title 11 straight years from 1982-92,
and as recently as 1996 brought home the big hardware.
The list of Pacific Lutheran women swimmers who
have earned the title "All-American" is
staggering, and includes Aurora Bray, a three-time
NAIA national champion in the distance freestyle
events. The Lute men have won six conference titles
during Johnson's tenure and produced two-time 100-yard
breaststroke national championship Mike Simmons.
The competitive season begins in earnest in early
November, takes a break during the Christmas holiday,
then returns full force at the start of January,
finally ending with the national meet in March.
Coach Johnson plans workouts and competitions with
the goal of preparing his swimmers for late-season
conference and national meets. In order to earn
a spot at NCAA Division III nationals, swimmers
have to achieve posted qualifying times.
 Johnson,
who also serves at Pacific Lutheran's aquatics director,
is a certified Level 5 (highest attainable) swim
coach by the American Swimming Coaches Association.
The Pacific Lutheran University pool is well-maintained
with a high-speed sand filtering system and recent
gutter renovation, and is electronically equipped
with Colorado timing system and touch pads.
Contact Info:
Head Coach: Jim Johnson
PLU Pool
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
Phone: 253-535-7370
Email: johnsojf@plu.edu |
