In the Swim of Things

Alumna Coaches at 2012 Olympic Games

Georgia Southern University alumna Hollie Bonewit-Cron (’02) was selected to coach the Grenadian Swim Team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Bonewit-Cron, the head coach for the swimming and diving teams at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), said she believes the experience will help her become a better coach for her athletes.

Georgia Southern played a big part in this momentous occasion for the veteran swimming coach. She started her collegiate coaching career at the University in 2000 as the assistant swim coach for the women’s team. Two years later Bonewit-Cron graduated from Georgia Southern with a master’s in kinesiology and said she remains connected to the University through her connections with her graduate school classmates. “I still keep in touch with many of them, including two who were in my wedding five years ago,” she added.

Esau Simpson is a member of the NSU swim team, and he represented his home country of Grenada at the Olympics. Simpson posted a time of 53.62 in the 100-meter freestyle trials to win his heat and set a new record for Grenada. Going into the Olympics, Bonewit-Cron said her goal was for her swimmer to have a thrilling experience while achieving his own personal best time. Simpson finished the event ranked 43rd out of 60 competitors.

The Georgia Southern alumna said her experience as a head coach at the Olympics is one of the highest levels a coach could achieve. ”It takes a lot of hard work to get to this point, but it is an experience and opportunity like nothing else. It is hard to top the opportunity to be a head coach at the Olympics,” Bonewit-Cron said. “The only other Olympic achievement that could be higher as a U.S. coach is to be on a U.S. Olympic Team.”

Sandra Bennett