AUBURN, Ala. – Returning to the James E. Martin Aquatic Center for the first time in a decade, new Auburn swimming and diving head coach Ryan Wochomurka reminisced about the first time he entered the facility 20 years ago this fall.
"You walk on the pool deck as a freshman and you look at a wall of Olympic medalists and banners hanging behind you and that's incredible," he said. "There's rich tradition. There's rich history.
"We have a tremendous opportunity for the people who have invested heavily here, to stand on their shoulders and look forward into the future."
Hired on April 23, Wochomurka will lead his alma mater's storied swimming program into that future.
After earning Auburn degrees in political science and finance in 2006, Wochomurka worked in swimwear manufacturing for 18 months before breaking into coaching as an assistant at Louisville, where he spent eight seasons.
"Within a couple weeks, I was hooked," said Wochomurka, who earned Auburn's head coaching opportunity after leading championship teams over six seasons at the University of Houston. "The daily interaction with our student-athletes, watching their growth and excitement, and watching them pursue excellence. If I could help them in any way in their journey, that was exciting for me."
As an Auburn swimmer, Wochomurka earned 21 All-America honors. As a head coach, he was the American Athletic Conference women's coach of the year five consecutive years.
"Excited to be back," he said. "Eager to help our current student-athletes develop. I hope to provide them with the same Auburn experience that I and so many have had and is so special to us.
"As coaches, this is something we love and are passionate about doing, but we're here to serve student-athletes.
'The Auburn experience transcends. If we can provide that, then we can certainly provide a great opportunity. Success in the pool becomes a byproduct and a consequence of providing a phenomenal student-athlete and Auburn experience."
In the days since his hiring, Wochomurka has spoken to former Auburn swimmers spanning five decades.
"We're united in the Auburn family," he said. "This is something that people have given not only four years of their lives during their time here, but they've given decades of their lives to be passionate about this place and this program.
"They don't have any higher expectations of this program or our coaching staff than I have of myself. We want to move it to where we can be competitive at the top end of the league and the top end of the NCAAs again."
Standing beneath a string of SEC and NCAA championship banners – three of which encompassed his time in the program in 2003, 2004 and 2005 – Wochormurka noted the process that leads to the pennants.
"The nature of our sport is hard work," he said. "That's the price of admission, especially in this league.
"The things that really move the needle are the ability to have family connection and camaraderie, and have a unity around common values and common goals.
"What is it we're pursuing at a high level in all aspects: academically, athletically and socially that allow us when we step up on the blocks at an SEC Championships or NCAA Championships to perform at a high level?"
Wochomurka planned to pose that question to Auburn's swimmers and divers during their first face-to-face meeting Monday afternoon. In that initial encounter, he wanted the student-athletes to do most of the talking.
"I'm going to listen," he said. "I just want to let them understand who I am. I'm going to be me and my big ask is that you be you. The one thing I know we're going to do is, together, we're going to be Auburn."
"An opportunity to give back to this university & this program that gave so much to me."
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) April 26, 2021
🗣@RyanWochomurka
21-time All-American & 3-time national champ Ryan Wochomurka returns to his alma mater to lead @AuburnSwimDive
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Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer