Hollie Bonewit-Cron has been named Miami University Head Coach of Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving, a position that will oversee both the men’s and women’s teams under a new combined model beginning in 2016-17, Miami Director of Athletics David Sayler announced Tuesday. Miami is one of three teams to combine this season, along with Tufts University and Notre Dame.
"We are excited to welcome Hollie to Miami Athletics,” said Sayler. “Hollie has proven she can recruit, develop student-athletes and build a winning program the right way. Her experience coaching both men and women as well as her knowledge of the Mid-American Conference as a student-athlete makes her the perfect fit for Miami."
Said Bonewit-Cron, "I am very excited about this opportunity and thankful that Miami has entrusted me to lead its newly combined program! I am looking forward to moving back to Ohio after 15 years in Florida and leading the Redhawks!"
Bonewit-Cron comes to Miami after a seven-year stint guiding the Nova Southeastern men’s and women’s teams, a program she built from the ground up since its first season of competition in 2010-11. Joining the NSU staff in 2009, she quickly developed the Shark program into a powerhouse with the men’s team recently finishing fourth at the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championships. She also was named the Head Olympic Swim Coach for the country of Grenada where she coached NSU standout Esau Simpson to a new Grenadian National record at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
"I am forever thankful to Nova Southeastern for allowing me to start the program from scratch and allow it to become my "baby" for 7 years. The relationships I have with the former and current athletes are ones that I will always cherish and am thrilled I was given that opportunity to oversee such amazing young men and women and mentor them all these years. I have loved this adventure and I will miss everyone to no end, but am excited about the future!"
During her tenure with the Sharks, Bonewit-Cron received two Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year honors, won four SSC Championships and amassed 12 NCAA Championships from six individual NCAA Champions.
In the program’s six years of NCAA competition, Bonewit-Cron helped NSU garner 61 SSC Championship titles, 66 All-America honors and 85 All-America Honorable Mentions. Under Bonewit-Cron’s tutelage, four swimmers were named SSC Swimmer of the Year, three received SSC Freshman of the Year honors and four were named the SSC Swimmer of the Meet. Additionally, 33 student-athletes were named to the All-SSC First Team and 22 were named to the All-SSC Second Team.
Not only have Bonewit-Cron’s teams been successful in the water, both programs have achieved academic excellence in the classroom. Under her direction, NSU has produced 41 Scholar All-Americans and Honorable Mention Scholar All-Americans with seven swimmers boasting CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 At-Large Team accolades. The Sharks also have received Team Scholar All-America honors nine times.
A 16-year collegiate coaching veteran, Bonewit-Cron spent one year as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Miami prior to her time at NSU where she was primarily responsible for overseeing and planning of the daily training regimen of the breaststroke group. She was also certified as an Infant Swimming Resource instructor.
Before her time with the Hurricanes, she spent the bulk of her coaching career (2002-2008) as the assistant men's and women's swim coach at the University of Florida. She assisted in coaching and overseeing a wealth of success for the Gators, including 12 NCAA Division I Individual Champions, 50 Southeastern Conference Champions, 198 All-American honors for the women, 222 All-American honors for the men, and five Olympians in two Olympics for a total of 4 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals.
Bonewit-Cron launched her collegiate coaching career at Georgia Southern University in 2000 as an assistant women's swim coach. She was later promoted to interim head coach, overseeing 28 female swimmers until assuming the position at Florida.
A decorated collegiate swimmer, Bonewit-Cron is no stranger to the Mid-American Conference. She was a three-time First-Team All-MAC selection at Ohio University, swimming for the Bobcats from 1996-00. As a senior, she earned NCAA Division I All-America honors in the 200-meter breaststroke and won six individual MAC titles, leading Ohio to a MAC team title while also becoming a senior national qualifier for the third straight year.
During her four-year career at Ohio, Bonewit-Cron was a 17-time MAC champion. She captured three consecutive titles in the 200- and 400-yard medley relay, the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard individual medley as well as back-to-back titles in the 200-yard breaststroke. Bonewit-Cron set school records in the 400-yard individual medley and MAC records in the 200-yard breaststroke, 400-yard freestyle relay, and the 200- and 400-yard medley relays.
She collected MAC Swimmer of the Meet honors after her junior season in 1999, seizing six MAC titles at the meet. In 2000, she also was an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke as well as the 400-yard individual medley. Bonewit-Cron also was named Ohio’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2000 and was later inducted to the Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
Bonewit-Cron earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio University in 2000 and a master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport psychology from Georgia Southern University in 2002. She and her husband, Chad, have two daughters, Evalyn (3) and Emersyn (2).
