Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- arthur@GoCards.com
- Phone:
- 852-8848
Born: São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil
Alma mater: Oakland University 1996 (Bachelor’s of Psychology)
University of Alabama: 2002 (Master’s in Human Performance Studies - Exercise Physiology)
Swimming career
1992-1993 Cal State Bakersfield
- (NCAA Division II National Champions)
1993-1996 Oakland University
- Three-Time NCA:A Division II National Champion
- 18-Time All-American
Coaching career
Kenyon College
- Assistant Coach: 1996-1999
University of Alabama
- Assistant Coach: 1999-2001
- Associate Head Coach: 2002-2003
University of Louisville
Head Coach: 2003-present
International Coaching Experience
2008 Romanian Olympic Team
2012 Portuguese Olympic Team
2015-2025 USA National Team Staff
2015 Pan American Games
2016 Short Course World Championships Team USA Coach
2016 Rio Olympics Team USA Assistant Coach
2017 FINA World Championship (Assistant Coach, Team USA)
2018 FINA World Championships Women’s Assistant Coach Team USA
2018 Pan Pacific Head Women’s Coach
2025 World University Games Team USA Head Coach
Accomplishments and Honors
Big East Team Championships
- 2010-11, Louisville Men
- 2009-10, Louisville Men
- 2012-13, Louisville Women
- 2011-12, Louisville Women
- 2010-11, Louisville Women
AAC Championships
- 2014 Louisville Men, Louisville Women
ACC Championships
- 2021 Louisville Men
HONORS
- National President: Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America
- Two-time National Coach of the Year (Swimswam)
- CSCAA 100 Greatest Coaches of the Century
- University of Oakland Athletic Hall of Honor
- Big East Coach of the Year 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
- ACC Coach of the Year 2021
- ACC Coach of the Year 2018
- ACC Coach in ACC/Big Ten Challenge (2017-18)
- AAC Coach of the Year 2014
- 2012 College Swimming Awards Male Break-out Team of the Year
Cardinal swimming and diving has the perfect combination of visionary and architect in head coach Arthur Albiero. Since August of 2003, he has served as head swimming coach at the University of Louisville, Albiero has engineered the emergence of the Cards’ into both the national and international spotlight. A Brazilian by birth and holding dual American citizenship, Albiero was named to the USA National Team’s coach staff for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Season Capsules
2023-24
In 2023-24, Albiero coached the Louisville men to a 15th place finish at the NCAA Championships, the program's 12th consecutive top 15 finish. Denis Petrashov (100 breast), Murilo Sartori (200 free) and Ilia Sibirtsev (1650 free) each finished top eight at the NCAA Championships to earn First Team All-America status. In all, ten different Cardinals earned All-America honors overall. The men finished fourth at the ACC Championships, capturing a pair of titles. Ilia Sibirtsev won the 500 free, while the 800-free relay team took home the top spot on the podium. On the women’s side, Albiero helmed the Cardinals as they finished sixth overall at the NCAA Championships, its seventh top six finish in the last nine NCAA Championships. Christiana Regenauer, Julia Dennis and Gabi Albiero finished fourth, fifth and sixth in the 50 free, respectively, marking the first time in program history with three women in the top eight in the event. Else Praasterink finished fourth in platform diving, the highest-ever finish in a diving final by a Cardinal in school history. Twelve different Cardinals earned All-America honors. The Cardinal women finished as the team runner-up at the ACC Championships, their best finish since 2017.
2022-23
In 2022-23, the Louisville women’s swimming and diving team earned a trophy by finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships with eight Cardinals earning First Team All-American honors. The Cardinals finished the regular season ranked No. 8 in the CSCAA poll and placed third at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Gabi Albiero, a three-time ACC Swimmer of the Week, was named to the USA Swimming National Team and represented the USA in the Duel in the Pool, a head-to-head competition with Australia. Else Praasterink became the first UofL women’s diver to earn All-American honors, finalling in both 3M and Platform. Krista Wheeler was named an ACC Top Six for Service. Ten Cardinals were all named to the ACC All-Academic list.
On the men’s side in 2022-23, the Cards finished the season ranked 14th in the polls and were 13th at the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis after finishing third at the ACC Championships. The Cardinals win two gold medals at ACC Championships (Abdelrahman Elaraby, 50 free; Denis Petrashov, 200 breaststroke) with five Cardinals winning All-American honors at the NCAA Championships. The Cards sent 11 men to the US National Championships to qualify for Worlds and Olympic Trials. Tommy Bried, Michael Eastman, Dalton Lowe and Murilo Sartori named to the ACC All-Academic Team. Elaraby was named as a recipient of the 2023 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award which honors student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics.
2021-22
The 2021-22 season saw the Cardinals continue to collect honors and excel in the pool as well as the classroom. The men finished second in the ACC Championship and the women were third. The women finished sixth at the NCAA Championship and the men were 12th. Both teams were named as CSCAA Scholar All-American Teams. With the NCAA granting an extra year of competition to the sports which were impacted by the pandemic, Nick Albiero and Evgenii Somov had the unique opportunity to win gold medals in their signature events for five straight years: Albiero in the 200 butterfly and Somov in the 100 breast. Another super senior, Daniel Sos, became the first Cardinal to ever win the grueling 400 Individual Medley at ACCs. Arthur Albiero was named as on the of the 100 Greatest College Coaches of the Past 100 Years by the CSCAA and former Cardinals Mallory Comerford and Kelsi Worrell were named as two of the top college 100 swimmers of the century. In all, the Cardinals won four gold medals, six silver medals and 9 bronze at ACCs. At NCAAs, the Cardinal men had seven All-American swims and two Honorable Mention All-American swims. For the women at NCAAs, the Cards had seven All-American swims and 10 Honorable Mention All-American performances. To cap off a stellar career, Nick Albiero was named ACC Swimmer of the Year and ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year.
2020-21
Despite the challenges of competing during a pandemic, the Cardinals had a historic 2020-21 season highlighted by its first ever ACC Championship for the men and Nick Albiero winning his first NCAA Championship in the 200 fly and leading the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA Relay Championship when the men won the 200 medley relay. Albiero earned ACC Swimmer of the Year and the Cards finished fifth at NCAAs. The men won seven gold medals at ACCs and produced nine All-American swims. The women finished 3rd at ACCs and 13th at NCAAs. Nick Albiero Named ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year and 21 Named as Academic All-ACC. In all 31 Cardinals headed to the US Olympic Trials.
2019-20
Despite an abrupt end due to the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, the 2019-20 season was still memorable for the Cardinals. UofL qualified 10 men for the national meet and tied their program best with 12 qualifiers on the women’s side, and both the women (1105.5 points) and men (1066.5 points) finished third at their respective ACC Championships. Grace Oglesby defended her 200 butterfly title for the third-straight year, Arina Openysheva was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle, and UofL finished in the top-3 in all five relays at the Women’s ACC Championships. Oglesby was also the recipient of the prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award. At ACCs for the men, the 400 medley relay team of Mitchell Whyte, Evgenii Somov, Nicholas Albiero, and Andrej Barna earned gold while setting a new ACC Meet Record. The 800 freestyle relay quartet of Albiero, Colton Paulson, Barna, and Samuel Steele also won, while the 200 and 400 freestyle relays took second. Albiero had himself a meet, winning his third-consecutive 200 butterfly title in 1:38.65 which broke the ACC Meet Record and moved him up to No. 4 all-time in history; he also won the 100 backstroke and was named the All-ACC Academic Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Somov defended his 100 breaststroke crown for the third-straight year and made it a sweep after winning the 200 breaststroke as well. Paulson grabbed the gold medal in the 200 freestyle, Haridi Sameh was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle, and Whyte finished second in the 200 backstroke. The Cardinals concluded the season with final rankings of No. 9 for men and No. 16 for women in the CSCAA Poll, had 31 athletes named as All-Americans, and was again selected as a Scholar All-American team.
2018-19
In a memorable 2018-19, the women finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championship, the highest finish in program history. The Cards earned the program's first-ever team trophy, securing fourth with 235 points. Louisville became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season. Albiero earned his second straight ACC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year honors and Mallory Comerford collected her third consecutive ACC Women's Swimmer of the Year honor after winning two titles at the NCAA Championship and three ACC Championship gold medals (100, 200, and 500 freestyle).Grace Oglesby won gold in the 200 fly and 400 Freestyle Relay of Lainey Visscher, Mallory Comerford, Casey Fanz, and Arina Openysheva took gold. With the award, Comerford became the first women's swimmer in ACC history to receive the distinction three times throughout her career.The men made history was made at the NCAA Championship as the Cardinals captured a program-record fifth place finish. The Cardinals' 212 points were also the most scored by a Louisville men's team at an NCAA Championship. The Cards became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season. As a team, the men finished second at the ACC Championship for the fifth straight year. They concluded the dual meet season with a record of 5-4 with wins over Xavier, Tennessee, Virginia, Northwestern, and Missouri. Louisville was tabbed at No. 8 in the final CSCAA/TYR Poll. The Cardinals won five individual titles at the ACC Championship. Nicolas Albiero (200 fly) and Evgenii Somov (100 breast) won their second consecutive ACC championship, while freshman Bartosz Piszczorowicz won the 200 free crown. The Cards’ 800 free and 400 free relays also took home the gold.
2017-18
In 2017-18, Albiero carried momentum into another stellar year that saw him being named a FINA World Championships Assistant Women's Coach and Team USA's head coaches at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships for the American women where they won seven gold medals and 22 overall. On the collegiate level, he was selected to helm the ACC women in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and had two Golden Goggles winners in Kelsi Worrell Dahlia Relay Performance) and Mallory Comerford (Breakout Swimmer of the Year). Major awards during the collegiate season began when Albiero was named ACC Coach of the Year and saw his son Nick Albiero being named ACC Freshman of the Year with protégé Mallory Comerford winning ACC Swimmer of the Year, and newcomer Mariia Ashtashkina being named ACC Freshman of the Year for the women. In all, 24 Cardinals were named to the All-ACC team. At NCAAs, the Cardinals raked in the honors led by Nick Albiero (4x All-American), Zach Harting (3x All-American), Andrej Barna (3x All-American), Sam Steele, (All-American), Carlos Claverie (2x All-American), Evgenii Somov (All-American), Marcelo Acosta (All-American). (Harting, Albiero, Barna, Matyi Kovacs, Acosta, Carlos all earned HM All Americans status as well. On the women’s side, Sophie Cattermole (All-American), Mallory Comerford (6x All-American), Arina Openysheva (2x All-American) Lainey Visscher, (3x All-American), Avery Braunecker (All-American), Casey Fanz (2x All-American), Alina Kendzior (2x All-American) and Mariia Astashkina (2x All-American).
At the ACC Championships, Evgenii Somov and Nick Albiero were both two-time ACC Champions. The 200 Men's Medley relay (Albiero, Harting, Claverie, Barna) also won gold at the ACC Championships in Greensboro. For the women, Mallory Comerford was a four time ACC Champion alsong with Grace Oglesby, a two-time ACC Champion; and Mariia Astashkina, an individual ACC Champion. The 400 Medley Relay team of Kendzior, Oglesby, Friesen, and Comerford won ACC Gold. Albiero coached his fourth NCAA Champion when Mallory Comerford won the 200 free. In all, 18 INDIVIDUAL were named to the Academic All-ACC squad and both teams were Team CSCAA Scholar All-American.
2016-17
The year 2016-17 brought the Cardinals to the forefront on both the national and international stage. Breakout star Mallory Comerford won five gold medals as a member of the 400m free relay, 800m free relay, 400m medley relay, mixed 400m free relay, mixed 400m medley relay at the 2017 FINA World Championships, was the champion in the 100m free at 2017 Phillips 66 Nationals and tied for the 2017 NCAA title in the 200y free with Katie Ledecky. The Cardinals men’s team set 11 school records and finished second at the ACC Championship. The women’s team finished third in the ACC. In the NCAAs, the UofL men had 10 swimmers qualify in addition to qualifying for all five relays. The women qualified eight swimmers and all five relays as well. Women's Swimming led the nation in All-Americans with 11, finishing sixth overall to tie the school record for highest finish. The men finished 11th at the NCAAs with eight All-Americans. Andrea Cottrell and Zach Harting were named to Team USA and represented the Cards at the World University Games. On the international stage, UofL sent 10 swimmers and four coaches to the World Championships in Budapest where they won 11 medals (nine gold and two bronze) which was the third most medals in the NCAA. The Cardinals were a part of nine championship final appearances, helped set eight American Records and four World Records. Albiero was named Team USA Coach for the 2016 Short Course World Championships and the 2017 FINA World Championship.
2015-16
The year 2015-16 season saw the Cardinals win two more NCAA Championships with Kelsi Worrell picking up two more in the butterfly events. Worrell went on to make the Olympic team and win a relay gold medal after winning the Honda Award and being named as a First Team Academic All-American. She was named both the ACC Swimmer of the Year, and the 2016 Most Valuable Swimmer. In all, seven Cardinals went to Rio (Joao De Lucca, Andrea Kneppers, Tanja Kylliainen, Marcelo Acosta, Carlos Claverie, Grigory Tarasevich and Worrell) along with Albiero, who went as a coach. The men were the ACC Runners-up and the women were fourth. At NCAAs, the Cardinal men were 11th and the women placed eighth.
2014-15
The year 2015 stands out as Albiero’s first stint as a member of the USA Coaching Staff, taking the USA to the Pan American Games. It was a year of firsts, as the Cardinals competed in their first ACC campaign with the men surging to second place on the final day of the championships, winning gold in five events (100-fly, 100-breast, 100-back, 200-breast, and 400-medley relay). In all, the men won 16 medals, the second most of any team. The women took fourth highlighted by Tanja Kylliainen’s three gold medals, setting three ACC records and was named the ACC's Most Valuable Swimmer. Teammate Kelsi Worrell earned gold with a record-setting win in the 100-free and won the 100-fly and earned a silver in the 50-free. For the women, the Cards set nine school records, five ACC individual titles, and set four ACC records. Moving on to the postseason, the women set a school record with a sixth place finish at the 2015 NCAAs. Kelsi Worrell won the 100-fly, setting an American record in the process. Worrell's signature race, the 100-butterfly put her atop the podium at the NCAA, Pan American Games and Phillips 66 National Championships. Worrell became the first woman to break the 50-second mark. She swept the fly events with a gold in the 200-fly won a bronze in the 50-free.
In her first international meet at Pan American Games in Toronto, Worrell set a Games record and notched the third-fastest time in the world in 2015 with a 57.24 effort in the 100-meter fly prelims. She went on to win gold in the event and added two relay medals. While coaching the USA team at the Pan Am Games, Albiero’s protégé, Joao De Lucca, won three gold and a silver for Brazil. And at the Pan Am Games, if U of L were a country, it would rank 15th overall in Pan Am medals with six. In swimming, U of L would rank fourth, behind only the U.S. Canada and Brazil. U of L’s six medals is twice as many as any other country that medaled in swimming. If you counted only Gold Medals, U of L would rank ninth overall and fourth in swimming.
At the National Championships, Worrell carried her momentum with a victory in the 100m fly at the Phillips 66 National Championships and was 4th in the 100-meter backstroke and third in the 50-free.. Trevor Carroll finaled in two events as did Andrea Cottrell. Freshmen Zach Harting and Mallory Comerford were named to the USA Junior National Team.
Andrea Cottrell and Tanja Kylliainen represented Louisville in the World University Games in South Korea. Under his tutelage, the Cardinals women’s success has risen meteorically. Over the last four years, Louisville has vaulted from 24th in 2011 to 22nd in 2012, 15th in 2013, and a program-best 6th in 2015, scoring 197 points. . He was named National Coach of the Year for the second time. Meanwhile the men were on the international stage as well with Carlos Claverie, Marcelo Acosta, Thomas Dahlia, Joao De Lucca and Grigory Tarasevich competing at the Kazan World Championships.
2013-14
In 2013-14 saw Albiero lead the Cardinal men and women to a championship in the inaugural American Athletic Conference and another Coach of the Year honor. The women won six individual races and three relays. The men won 11 individual events and five relays. As they moved on to the NCAAs, lightning struck again as Joao De Lucca not only repeated as the 200-freestyle national champion but also won the 100-freestyle, a feat not accomplished since 1990. The men finished 11th with two All-Americans and nine honorable mention All-Americans. The women saw Kelsi Worrell finish as runner up in the 100-fly and fourth in the 200-fly to help lead the women to a 15th-place finish adding four honorable mention All-Americans. Last summer Albiero proved that he not only puts UofL in the national spotlight but on the world stage as well. Thomas Dahlia won the French European Trials in the 200-meter breaststroke. Carlos Claverie medaled in the Youth Olympics in Bejing. Todd Owen was the Junior National Champion .Andrea Cottrell was named to the World University Games in 2015 and Kelsi Worrell was named to the Pan Am Games roster. In addition, the Cards are getting it done in the classroom as 2014 saw 11 Cardinals named as Scholar All-Americans.
2012-13
In 2012-13, the Cards saw history repeat itself as Albiero led the Cardinal women to their third straight BIG EAST Championship. Coming off that meet, the women sent Devon Bibault (200-fly), Abigail Chin (400-IM), Gisselle Kohoyda (200-breast), Tanja Kylliainen (200-IM, 400-IM, 200-fly) and Kelsi Worrell (100-fly) to the NCAAs as individuals. All five relays (200-, 400-, 800-free relays and 200- and 400-medley relays) qualified adding in relay swimmers Grite Apanaviciute, Krissie Brandenburg, Lindsey LaPorte and Breann McDowell. Worrell, who had the top 100-fly time in the nation going into the meet, finished fourth, to earn All-American status and equal the best-ever NCAA final finish for a woman. Joining her as an All-American was Kylliainen, who finished 8th in the 200-fly. The men sent three individuals: Joao De Lucca (50-free, 200-free, 100-free), Caryle Blondell (100-free, 50-free) and Addison Bray (200-breast). They also added Alex Burtch, Albert Lloyd, Sam Hoekstra and Kameron Chastain as relay swimmers. De Lucca became the second Cardinal in history to win an NCAA Championship, when he took the 200-free from lane one in a 1:33.49, the third fastest time in the history of the NCAA meet. De Lucca was third in the 100-free and 13th in the 50-free. Blondell was an honorable mention All-American, finishing 14th in the 100-free. The 400-free relay team of Caryle Blondell, Joao De Lucca, Alex Burtch and Sam Hoekstra earned All-American status with a fourth place finish, going 2:50.98.
2011-12
In 2011-12, Albiero led the Cardinals to history making heights. He coached the women to a BIG EAST Championship. In all, 30 Cards were named to the men's and women's All-BIG EAST squad. The men finished as BIG EAST runners-up but sent a school record number 13 swimmers to the NCAA National Championship in Federal Way, Washington. There, the Cardinals celebrated their first-ever national champion when Carlos Almeida won the 200-breast and was runner up in the 100-breast. The men finished an unprecedented ninth in the field and College Swimming Awards named them the Male Break-out Team of the Year. The women made a strong showing at the NCAAs as well, notching its first A-final for Gisselle Kohoyda. After the NCAA, Albiero was named as the coach for Portugal's swim team for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Cardinals sent four swimmers to the Olympics, Eszter Povazsay (Hungary), Joao De Lucca (Brazil), Carlos Almeida (Portugal) and Pedro Oliveira (Portugal). The cherry on top of all this success was being named National Coach of the Year.
2010-11
In 2010-11, Albiero led both squads to the BIG EAST crown including the women's first ever conference championship. The meet, held in the Ralph Wright Natatorium was a showcase for Cardinal swimming. He earned BIG EAST Coach of the year for the third straight year. He sent a total of seven athletes to the NCAA Championship. In another first, U of L sent it's first diver to the NCAA Finals when Hannah Gadd emerged from the NCAA Zones to advance. Highlights of the NCAA's included Carlos Almeida's third place finish in the 100-breast and a fifth in the 200-breast. In all, seven Cardinals came away with All-American honors. Albiero accompanied Carlos Almeida when he made his third appearance for Portugal at the FINA World Championships, this time in Shanghai, China. Albiero also oversaw U of L's Joao De Lucca, who anchored the 4x100 relay team for Brazil. Pedro Oliveira and Eszter Povazsay represented the Cardinals at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.
2009-10
In 2009-10, Albiero led the men to their first-ever BIG EAST championship and earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors. A record number of men and women qualified for the NCAAs and nine of them earned All-American honors. Carlos Almeida's fifth place in the 200 breast at the NCAA Champions was a benchmark for the program. As success breeds success, Albiero amassed the No. 12 ranked recruiting class in the nation. The Cardinals performed in the classroom as well, highlighted when sprinter Liz Halet became the first-ever athlete of any sport to earn a Fulbright Scholarship. Carlos Almeida and Pedro Oliveira competed at the European Championships that summer and Eszter Povazsay earned a berth on the Hungarian national team.
2008-09
In 2008-09, Albiero was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year as the Cardinals finished as runners-up in the Championship. With both the men’s and women’s teams nationally ranked in the Top 25, the Albiero-coached Cardinals then sent a record five women swimmers to the NCAA where they finished 22nd. The men sent seven swimmers and finished 29th at the NCAAs. Then 13 U of L swimmers went to the National Championships and World Championship Swim Trials where Leslie VanWinkle finished 11th in the 200-M IM.That same year, Cardinals Carlos Almeida and Pedro Oliveira represented U of L and their native Portugal in the World Championships where Oliveira advanced through to the semi-finals and finished 14th in the 200-M butterfly.
2007-08
In 2007-08, Albiero fulfilled one of his professional dreams as three Cardinals advanced to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was invited to be a member of the Romanian swim coaching staff. Vali Preda represented Romania, Andrei Radzionau swam for his native Belarus and Adam Madarassy swam for Hungary. Arthur was able to assist all three in Beijing. The Beijing Olympics crowned an already stellar season. The men's team finished the regular season ranked No. 23 in the CSCAA dual meet poll. The Cardinals blazed through the BIG EAST Championships where they set seven BIG EAST records and won 13 events. Next up was the NCAA where six men made NCAA qualifying times. Vali Preda, Andrei Radzionau, Chris Lindauer, Adam Madarassy, Carlos Van Isschot and Rafal Kuchta scored enough points to finish 26th of 49 teams. Leslie VanWinkle was the first woman to final in the NCAA Championships for the Cardinals when she scored in the 400-IM. Then Albiero sent nine swimmers to the US Olympic trials right before leaving for Beijing in July.
2006-07
In 2006-07, the Cardinals set 23 new school records, made 22 NCAA B-cuts, three World University Game participants and a FINA World Championships finalist who earned an Olympic berth for Beijing. Vali Preda was an NCAA finalist after the men's team finished third at the BIG EAST, the highest ever finish. And the success didn't just come in the water, both men and women's teams made CSCAA Academic All-American status. In the summer of 2007, he accompanied Preda and Adam Madarassy to the European Championships where Preda finished 21st and set a new national record for Romania.
2005-06
In 2005-06, the Cardinals shone under his tutelage. In the inaugural season in the BIG EAST, the Cardinals had three swimmers win a total of five races and the team set 18 school records. Freshman Vali Preda was a three-time BIG EAST champion and qualified for the NCAA Finals in three events. He swam two, finishing 13th in the 200-breast and helped U of L to a final national team ranking of No. 41. In the summer of 200 6, he accompanied Preda to the World Championships in Melbourne, where he finished 21st.
2004-05
In 2004-05, Albiero helped the Cardinals to 32 school records and an unprecedented outstanding performance at the Conference USA Championship. The men finished second, a school record best, and the women improved two spots from the previous year for fourth. In 2005, U of L had Adam Madarassy who was the Swimmer of the Meet win three individual races and help the men win the 800-free relay. He set nine school records. Amanda Taylor set seven school records, won the 400-IM and was named Freshman Swimmer of the Year. Diver Robbie Lewis swept all three diving evens, setting school records and being named Diver of the Meet. The men ended up ranked No. 27 in the nation. In 2004, U of L had three conference champions with Kleber Ihara, Heather Meng and diver Sean Wilkinson (platform and 1-M) each winning their events.
Albiero worked closely with the architects of the Ralph Wright Natatorium. He oversaw the construction and design of the state-of-the-art home venue as the Cards entered the highly competitive BIG EAST Conference.
Prior to UofL
Prior to U of L, Albiero came to Louisville via the University of Alabama. He spent four years as an assistant for the University of Alabama and was named the associate head coach at UA for 2001-03. In 2002-03, the Tide’s men had their highest national finish since 1994, taking 12th place after a fifth place finish at the SEC Championships. The women posted their highest finish since 1996, taking 15th place in the NCAA meet after a fourth place finish at the SEC Championships.
And Albiero knows winning. He helped coach Stefan Gherghel, who became the first Alabama swimmer to repeat as NCAA Champion. Gherghel, a 2000 Olympian, won his second consecutive NCAA in the 200-butterfly with a school record. Gherghel's title in 2001 marked the Tide's first swimming NCAA title since 1983. He swam in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Albiero also coached Anne Poleska and Vlad Polyakov at Alabama. Poleska was the NCAA runner-up in the 200-breast and in 2002, she set a new German record for the 200-breaststroke at the World Championships in Barcelona where she placed fourth. She was a bronze medalist in Athens in the 2004 Olympics. Polyakov was runner-up in the 200-breaststroke at the NCAAs as a freshman.
Albiero is credited with being an integral part of the rebuilding of the Alabama swimming and diving program. During his tenure, the Tide returned to the Top 20.
After graduation from Oakland in 1996 with a bachelor's in psychology with a minor in exercise physiology, he joined the staff at Kenyon College, a perennial powerhouse in Division III. During his three years at the helm, the Lords and Ladies of Kenyon won six national championships, three for the men and three for the women. Albiero also coached at the club level, working with the Oakland Live Y'ers in Michigan as well as running Oakland's Swim Camp and the Total Performance Swim Camp. He received a Masters Degree in Human Performance Studies - Exercise Physiology from Alabama in 2002.
Swimming Career
A successful swimmer himself, Albiero was an 18-time All-American swimmer for Oakland University where he helped lead the Pioneers to three straight NCAA Division II team titles. He also earned three NCAA titles and was a Scholastic All-American three of those years.
Personal
Albiero is married to the former Amy Comerford, a former standout swimmer at Oakland, where they both were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The couple has three children, Estefan , Nicolas, and Gabriela.
