Hall of Fame
Ron Zwierlein was the founding father of the John Carroll aquatic program and was the team's first swim coach from 1975-1981.
While the first team was a mix of experienced club swimmers and students trying out a new sport, the Bowling Green State University graduate and former captain of their swim team was a master recruiter who built the squad from the ground up. He even went to the extreme of knocking on doors of the dorm rooms asking if anyone was interested in joining the team.
Despite finishing in sixth place in their first PAC Championships in 1976, the team nicknamed the "Blue Wave" was slowly becoming competitive as they finished in second behind powerhouse Allegheny in each of the next four seasons.
1981 was a special season for Zwierlein and the "Blue Wave" as they consistently defeated Division I teams and only suffered two losses, one against eventual national champion Kenyon and the other to Allegheny by one point.
The efforts culminated with a PAC Championship victory over Allegheny that season just six years after the first swim team was founded.
At the Division III National Championships, the Blue Streaks finished in seventh place and produced nine All-Americans.
After the conclusion of the season, Zwierlein accepted the head swimming coach job at his alma mater of Bowling Green where he coached for five seasons. He then became Associate Director of Recreational Sports before being named Director of Athletics in 1994. In 1999, Zwierlein was named the Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs before concluding his career at BGSU in 2004. Afterwards, he served as the Interim Athletic Director at St. Bonaventure University before retiring in 2007.
In 2018, Zwierlein was inducted into the Bowling Green Athletic Hall of Fame and was part of the induction ceremony for the 1981 JCU Swimming & Diving Team into the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame that same year.
In his six seasons at the helm of the JCU swimming program, Zwierlein recorded a record of 45-17 while producing 26 All-Americans. He also served as the Athletic Director for John Carroll from 1978-1981.
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