SMU has tabbed Ozzie Quevedo as their next women’s swimming and diving coach. He previously served as the senior associate head coach at Alabama.
In the 2021-22 season, Quevedo helped lead the Alabama women’s team to a fourth-place national finish, their highest in program history. This past season, he assisted both the Alabama men’s and women’s teams to top-20 finishes nationally along with seeing 17 swimmers and divers receive CSCAA All-America honors.
At SMU, Quevedo takes over for Steve Collins who led the program for the last 37 years. Under Collins’ leadership, women’s swimming and diving won 17 conference championships and had 35 appearances in the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships. He guided the team to 15 top-10 finishes with nine of those also being top-5.
“I want to thank him for his dedication and for setting a bar of undisputed excellence,” Quevedo said. “I am excited to lead this program moving forward and build upon what has been done with hopes to reach even greater heights.”
Before the 2021-22 season, Quevedo was acknowledged as one of the best swim coaches in the country earning a spot on the United States National Team coaching staff. Quevedo has also coached Rhyan White, a member of Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She earned the silver medal as part of the 400m medley relay team and was the first Alabama woman to be a part of the Olympic team.
Prior to his time at Alabama, he served as an assistant coach at Florida State and Auburn. He also has head coach experience at the club and high school level in Florida.
Quevedo has quite the resume as an athlete in his own right. He was an integral part of Auburn’s men’s swimming and diving national championship team in 1999 while also finishing his career as a six-time All-American and five-time SEC champion. He also has experience at the Olympic level as he participated for his native Venezuela at the 2000 Sydney Games.
“Ozzie’s experience as an elite athlete, a coach at some of the top swim programs in the country and his vision for the future of SMU women’s swimming propelled him to the top of our list,” athletic director Rick Hart said. “He will continue our tradition of excellence established under Steve Collins and win championships with integrity.”
Quevedo’s experiences in coaching have earned him much respect from some of the top minds in the sport today.
“Ozzie is one of the bright minds in coaching today,” Arizona State head swim coach Bob Bowman said. “He is constantly striving to learn and grow in his capacity as a coach and mentor to young people. He will be a great leader for SMU women’s swimming.”
