97°F
weather icon Clear

Son of BCHS swim coach named Ivy League Coach of the Year

Bret Lundgaard, a 2004 graduate of Boulder City High School was named Ivy League Coach of the Year after leading Princeton to a 2022-23 conference championship.

“This honor is definitely a tribute to our staff and our team,” Lundgaard said. “COVID was very tough on our program. While the majority of Division I programs had to only wait three, four months to get back to training, it took the Ivy League 16 months. It took time to reestablish our culture but thankfully we have great athletes who are competitive and care about each other.”

Lundgaard, the son of Boulder City head coach Sara Carroll, now has two conference championships under his belt in between COVID years, winning his first in the 2019-20 season. After the adversity his program had faced, he called this win even sweeter.

“This win was very satisfying,” Lundgaard said. “We went through the wringer the prior two years, experiencing so many individual stories of hardship that required a lot of perseverance, dedication and commitment. When you win your first one, it’s really cool, but to win it again, required so much more and it was definitely rewarding.”

Taking over the program from legendary coach Susan Teeter, who won 17 Ivy League titles during her 33-year tenure, Lundgaard has kept the winning tradition alive at Princeton.

Winning their 24th Ivy League title in program history, the Tigers won 12 out of 20 events at the championship meet, with Nikki Venema named High Point Swimmer of the meet and Charlotte Martinkus named High Point Diver.

Under Lundgaard’s tutelage, Venema went on to get invited to the NCAA championships in three events: 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, while he helped the Tigers break eight school records and two Ivy records (200 medley relay and 200 free relay) this past season.

Although his program is viewed as a mid-major in the college landscape, Lundgaard has seen a change in recruiting so far and hopes the trend continues.

“We’ve been fortunate to have great athletes and over the past few years, we’ve seen a spike in recruiting,” said Lundgaard. “Obviously Princeton as a university sells itself and our swim program is a great attraction. Swimmers want to come here and compete.”

Grateful to be winning conference championships, Lundgaard still strives for more as he hopes to elevate Princeton on a national level in the coming seasons.

“We’re very fortune to attract great student athletes,” Lundgaard said. “We’ve had a lot of success in the Ivys and I think that will continue to translate nationally. I believe we can be a top 15 program in the country, hopefully one day qualify a swimmer for the Olympics. I believe our future here is very bright and we just have to put in the work.”

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Nevadapreps names 10 Eagles to all-state team

Capitalizing on great individual efforts, 10 Boulder City High School male athletes were named to the Nevadapreps All-Southern Nevada team, which features the top players in the region regardless of classification.

Lady Eagles pick up state hardware

Five Boulder City High School female athletes were recognized for their impressive efforts and in the process were named to the Nevadapreps All-Southern Nevada team, highlighting the top players in the region regardless of classification.

Jenas-Keogh named BCR’s Athlete of the Year

Excelling as a three-sport athlete, Boulder City High School junior Sancha Jenas-Keogh has been named Boulder City Review girls athlete of the year.

Bonar receives one last high school honor

As a result of excelling as a three-sport athlete, Boulder City High School senior Sam Bonar has been named Boulder City Review boys athlete of the year.

Awards continue for volleyball team

Continuing their claim as the most accomplished high school boys volleyball program in the 3A classification this decade, Boulder City High School had four players named to the All-State team.

Robinson named to 1st team All-State

Four Eagles were named to the 3A All-State team after helping Boulder City High School baseball reach the 3A state tournament.

Rogers named league player of the year

Leading Boulder City High School softball to the 3A state tournament, eight Eagles were named to the All-Mountain League team, highlighted by player of the year Payton Rogers.

Eight swimmers lead awards for girls

Boulder City High School girls swimming finished fourth at the 3A state meet, and for their efforts, eight Eagles were named to the All-Southern Region team.