Swimming & Diving Coach Daniella Irle Signs 3-Year Extension
Mar 15, 2005 | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 15, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University head swimming and diving coach Daniella Irle has signed a three-year extension that will keep her with the Green Wave program through the 2007-08 school year, athletic director Rick Dickson announced Tuesday.
Hired in Nov. 2002 to resurrect a Green Wave program that had not taken the pool since the 1989-90 season, Irle has compiled a two-year 29-5 record in dual-meet action and won a trio of invitation titles. This past season, she was named Conference USA Swimming Coach of the Year after leading the Green Wave to the C-USA Championship.
"Under the direction of Daniella Irle, the Tulane University swimming and diving program has been one of the most interesting success stories in the nation over the past two years," Tulane Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Maria Ochoa said. "They had a tremendous season last year, and to win a conference title in their second season speaks volumes of what Daniella Irle has done.
"We are excited to have her under contract for another three years, and we look forward to watching the program continue on its rise to national prominence."
In the Green Wave's first season of action, Irle led Tulane to a 13-2 dual meet record and a fifth-place finish in the 2004 Conference USA Championship. Along the way, a trio of Green Wave student-athletes earned all-conference honors, including rookie Linda McEachrane, who was tabbed C-USA Freshman Swimmer of the Year, participated in the NCAA Championship and earned a spot on the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Team.
During the 2004-05 season, Tulane posted a 16-3 dual-meet record and won the Giant Eagle Zips Invitational and UNO Invitational during the regular season. At the C-USA Championship, the Green Wave won the title by a 9.5-point margin over defending champion TCU. Nine individuals and three relay teams earned all-conference honors, including conference championships by Sarah Dicharry in the 200 free, Nicole Taheri in the 1650 free and Linda McEachrane in the 100 free, and the Green Wave posted six NCAA B Cut standards.
"This job is as intriguing and interesting to me today as it was two years ago," Irle said. "We have created a championship atmosphere and expectations in all phases of the program and I am very excited about the future of this program and the ladies within it. There is still a lot of work to be done and the administration is 100 percent behind our vision for the future. I could not be more pleased to be on board here at Tulane."
Prior to her arrival at Tulane, Irle spent the previous 10 years as head swimming and diving coach at Fresno State where she posted a 93-33 dual meet record and helped the Bulldogs set 79 school records and account for 90 percent of the school's all-time top five performances.
Irle also served as an assistant coach at LSU from 1989-91 and at Texas from 1991-92. A native of Houston, Texas, Irle was a 1987 honors graduate from Lamar University. She is a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, the World Swimming Coaches Association and USA Swimming.
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