10 Questions with Swimming and Diving Head Coach Leah Stancil

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University swimming and diving head coach Leah Stancil took time to visit with TulaneGreenWave.com prior to beginning her second season in Uptown.

Q: What excited you the most about your team's performance from a year ago?

A: "One of the areas where we grew a lot in was our racing. We have been focusing a lot on the skill of racing, so I'm looking forward to seeing how our upper classmen lead our freshman and how they compete this year."

Q: What can you say about Olivia Johnson's performance from a year ago?

A: "Olivia was a great leader for us last year and she still is a great leader for us now. She really set the tone for our team. Sometimes it is good for us to have a model of what things could look like, so that the level of performance from the group can be improved. She has made other people on our team believe that they can achieve what they achieved. I'm looking forward to her continued improvement and high level performance."

Q: Who do you feel is ready to make a big jump in the 2019-20 campaign?

A: "I have high expectations for Kate McDonald, who had a great season a year ago. I really like what I have seen out of Lilly Byrne, who is a freshman. Lilly is looking to make big strides, she has been doing really great in training, so we'll see how she competes. Madison Cummings is another incoming freshman, who has been doing great in practice and I expect big things out of her. I also have been really impressed with Jordan Morling, who is one of our senior captains. I'm expecting her to perform at levels that no one is expecting."

Q: How much of an impact has this year's freshman class made on the team?

A: "They have been a fantastic addition to our team. In training, they have not hesitated in stepping up and competing with upper classmen, which in turn has made the upper classmen even better in training. I'm expecting great things from them. Once their nerves no longer get in the way, the sky is the limit for that group. I'm really excited to see how they can do and I'm excited to see how they accept the challenge to perform. They are a great group of women and I'm excited to see how they do this year."

Q: Describe your first-year experience coaching in the American Athletic Conference?

A: "It was a lot of fun last year and I think our team has a really good chance to be great. I'm just excited to see what the year brings for them. I can see that their confidence is very high. I have high expectations."

Q: How would you describe John Sirmon's transition as the team's new diving coach?

A: "From my perspective, I think it has been great. I can really see a change in what our team is doing. I have nothing but great things to say about John and where he is taking our diving program."

Q: What do you like the most about this year's team?

A: "I really like that they are able to take my high expectations and go with them. They are not intimated by my expectations. Any sort of feedback that I give them on my expectations and where we need to be our student-athletes really take those in stride. I am blessed with a team that is all in and I really want them to do well."

Q: How can you best describe this team's training habits?

A: "Our freshmen have raised the standards of our training and our upperclassmen have stepped right up to the challenge."

Q: What are some of the goals that you have established for this year's team?

A: "The underlying goal is to be at the top of the conference and that's how we are training and that's how we are getting mentally prepared."

10 Questions with Swimming and Diving Head Coach Leah Stancil

Players Mentioned

Lilly Byrne

Madison Cummings

Olivia Johnson

Kate McDonald

Jordan Morling

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