B-W: Head Coach, Sara Gildea

SARA GILDEA enters her third season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving program at Baldwin-Wallace College in 2008-2009. She guided each team to a solid second place showing at the 2008 Ohio Athletic Conference Championship Meet.

Coach Gildea came to B-W from Mercyhurst (Pa.) College North East. Her goal is to bring the OAC men’s and women’s swimming and diving titles to B-W. In her first season in Berea, Coach Gildea and her staff led the Yellow Jacket men and wonen to identical 6-5 overall records, including 3-1 marks in OAC dul meets.

Gildea coached for two plus years at Mercyhurst North East where and helped the Saints advance to the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Swimming and Diving Championships. In addition, Coach Gildea had two swimmers win individual NJCAA national titles and she coached 16 individual NJCAA All-Americans.

Before becoming the head coach at Mercyhurst North East, Gildea graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and business in the spring of 2003. While at JCU, Gildea competed individually in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events and on the medley relay teams and helped the Blue Streaks to a pair of OAC titles (1999-2000 and 2000-2001).

Gildea is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a member of the USA Swimming and American Swimming Coaches Association. She also swam for the Allegheny North Swim Club in the United States Swimming Organization for 10 years and was the head coach of the Igomar Swim Club, ages 5-18.

REBECCA REPASKY is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jacket men’s and women’s swimming and diving program.

Repasky graduated from Bethany (W.Va.) College in May of 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in History degree. At Bethany, Repasky was involved with the Bisons’ swimming and diving teams all four years. She swam for one-year, was a student manager for two-years and was a student coach for a year.

For the past eight-years, Repasky has been the Assistant Head Lifeguard at the Dan Kostel Recreation Center in Garfield Heights, Ohio. Repasky is a native of Maple Heights, Ohio and is currently pursuing a Coaching Certification through USA Swimming.

TIM CROY is in his second season as an assistant coach of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving program. Tim works with the Yellow Jacket divers and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Yellow Jacket program. He also knows a great deal about the B-W program as a native of Berea, a Berea High School graduate, former Midpark Coach and as a local diving coach.

Tim began his coaching career at local Middleburg Heights Midpark High School in 1989. He also has been the coach of the Berea Diving Club since 1998. In his 17 years at the high school level, Coach Croy has trained more than 20 divers who were Ohio High School Athletic Association State Meet qualifiers, coach five United States Diving Age Group National qualifiers, five different divers to seven High School All-American awards, numerous divers to either Pioneer Conference or Southwestern Conference titles and is a four-time OHSAA Northeast District Diving Coach of the Year.

As a competitor, Coach Croy was outstanding. He was a two-time Junior Olympic National qualifier (1980 and 1984), a three-time OHSAA State Meet finalist (1983-85) and All-Ohio diver who placed fourth in 1983, seventh in 1984 and fourth in 1985, a three-time National Interscholastic Swimming Championships Association (NISCA) High School All-American (1983-85). He held the Berea High School 1-meter diving record and was a three-time B.H.S. Outstanding Diver (1983-85). In college, Coach Croy was a two-year letterman at Ohio University (1986 and 1988) and its Outstanding Freshman in 1986.