Garland O'Keeffe

Position: Head Coach Experience: 4th Season at Iowa Alma Mater, Year: Indiana University, 1994

Garland O’Keeffe enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Iowa women’s swimming team. In her first three seasons, O’Keeffe has compiled an 18-16 dual record, going 6-12 in the Big Ten. She has coached six all-Americans, six NCAA qualifiers and a Big Ten Champion. The Hawkeyes have also shattered 24 school records in the last three years.

O’Keeffe and the Hawkeyes had outstanding success in 2002-03. The team placed 20th with 41 points at the NCAA Championships - its highest finish and point total at that meet in school history - and crowned three all-Americans in Jennifer Skolaski, Lisette Planken and Nancilea Underwood. It was the first time during her tenure that O’Keeffe had three NCAA qualifiers, and all three came home all-Americans - the most crowned by the Hawkeyes at one national meet since 1986. Iowa posted an 8-4 overall season record, which was the first winning season under O’Keeffe, and the first for the program since 1999-2000.

During her first two seasons, O’Keeffe, coached Melissa Loehndorf and Allison Lyle to all-America status. Loehndorf earned her second all-America honor in 2001, placing 16th in the 200-yard butterfly after winning a Big Ten title that event. She earned her first all-America honor in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 1999-2000. Lyle was O’Keeffe’s first two-time all-American, earning honors in the 100-yard breaststroke in 2001 and in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2002. Skolaski became the third NCAA qualifier of O’Keeffe’s career, competing in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke, and the 500-yard freestyle at the 2002 NCAA Championships her freshman year.

If there is any area where O’Keeffe wants more improvement for the team, it is at the Big Ten Championships. While the Hawkeyes have recorded 20 top-five finishes at the conference meet in the past three seasons - including 10 in 2002 - they have not placed higher than seventh as a team and have only crowned one individual champion. Two of O’Keeffe’s season goals are an upper-division finish at the Big Ten meet, and to have more Hawkeyes atop the winner’s stand at the end of competition.

Under O’Keeffe, Iowa’s success in the classroom has matched its success in the pool. In three seasons, there have been 23 academic all-Big Ten selections, including 12 in 2002-03, and two academic all-Americans. The team has earned CSCAA academic all-America honors twice during O’Keeffe’s tenure.

Prior to becoming head coach of the Hawkeyes, O’Keeffe served one season (1999-2000) as Iowa’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, in charge of the sprint and breaststroke groups. The team enjoyed a very successful season with the help of O’Keeffe, as she coached two athletes to record-breaking performances in the 50-yard freestyle and three swimmers to NCAA consideration times.

Before coming to Iowa City, O’Keeffe was the head women’s swimming and diving coach at St. Bonaventure University (1998-99). O’Keeffe coached the Bonnies to their third consecutive Atlantic 10 title in 1998 and a runner-up finish in 1999.

Prior to becoming the head coach at St. Bonaventure, O’Keeffe was the associate swimming coach at Villanova University (1996-97). She served as the Wildcat’s recruiting and travel coordinator, and founded and coached Villanova’s Masters Swim Team.

O’Keeffe also served as an assistant swimming coach at Eastern Michigan from 1994-96. While with the Eagles, she received her Master of Arts degree in College Student Personnel.

A 1994 graduate of Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in English, O’Keeffe’s collegiate swimming career began at the University of Texas, where she was a member of the NCAA Champion Longhorns in 1990.

The next fall she transferred to Indiana, where she was selected to the all-Big Ten team for three-consecutive seasons. She was also a Big Ten finalist in 1992-94 and was the team’s High Point Swimmer in 1990. In 1992, O’Keeffe set an Indiana school record in the 200-yard backstroke, which remained until 1999. In each of her three years with the Hoosiers, O’Keeffe served as the swimming team’s co-captain.

Before college, O’Keeffe was a U.S. National Team member from 1986-88. She placed fifth in the 400 individual medley at the 1988 Olympic trials. At one time, O’Keeffe cracked the world rankings in four different events, including a top 10 ranking in the 400-yard individual medley.

O’Keeffe, a native of St. Louis, swam for the Sugar Creek Swim Club and the Clayton Shaw Park Swim Club.

The former high school all-American sports medals from the 1986 and 1987 spring and summer Senior Nationals (silvers in the 400-IM) and the 1987 Pan Pacific Games (silver in the 400-IM). Each time, O’Keeffe touched the wall just behind United States swimming legend Janet Evans.

Her brother, Dan O’Keeffe, is still an elite swimmer. He competed in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics for Guam, where both he and his sister were born. Dan swam the 100-yard butterfly.

O’Keeffe and her husband, Jay Wilson, have a son, Bailey.

O'Keeffe at Iowa