WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS. – Early on in the conversation between former Eph men's and women's swimming coach Carl Samuelson (Coach Sam) and current head coach of both Eph teams Steve Kuster it became crystal clear that their success was not generated by being yellers and screamers and iron fisted coaches.
The coaches were meeting over lunch to talk about their time at Williams and both being named to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) list of the 100 best coaches in the first 100 years of collegiate swimming. Samuelson has learned that John Young '97, now the current head coach of men's and women's swimming at Davidson College, a four-time NCAA champion, and four-year multiple events All-American at Williams, nominated him for consideration. Kuster isn't sure who nominated him.
CSCAA criteria for determining the 100 best swimming coaches.
Greg Earhart writing on the CSCAA website adds more about the selection process in a story titled "Getting to 100"
For both Samuelson and Kuster an important skill in coaching swimmers is listening to the swimmer and finding out what he/she is thinking about their performance and their technique and then shaping the coaching to that person's talent and best interests.
Samuelson used to tell his swimmers, "Be fast, but be relaxed." He would then add, "You can't perform at your best if you are too tense and worried about your technique or have other distractions." Kuster agreed with Samuelson that working with the swimmers on what they felt worked best for them and then refining that approach with technique and training created relationships based on trust. "I don't claim to know all the answers," Kuster said. "The coach and the swimmer are a team."
"From many previous conversations I've had with Coach Sam it is clear to me that he was ahead of his time in using this approach," stated Kuster. Samuelson added, "Listening to and working with a swimmer not only builds trust and confidence between the two it always leads to better results."
Growing up in Middletown, Conn. Samuelson was a member of a group of students who helped persuade his high school principal to start a swim team at Middletown High School. Later he enrolled at Springfield College where he competed for four years and earned a B.S. in Physical Education. The opportunity to stay on at Springfield to earn his Master's in Physical Education, coach the freshman team, and assist with the varsity team enticed Samuelson to remain at Springfield.
Samuelson's first application for a head coaching position came some 10 years later when he thought he might like to explore the opportunity to be a head coach and he applied for the head coaching position at Colgate University. He was certain that having experience with interview sessions would be helpful to his career down the road.
Samuelson was both surprised and pleased to be offered an opportunity to interview at Colgate given that he had no varsity head coaching experience at that time. Soon after his Colgate interview Samuelson was even more surprised to be offered the job, but he turned it down. "At that time I was mostly interested in participating in an interview process so I would be prepared if something else came along that interested me."
A few years later Samuelson received a phone call from Wesleyan University head swimming coach Hugh McCurdy who informed him that Bob Muir was retiring at Williams. McCurdy asked if he could bring Samuelson's name forward to Williams Athletic Director Frankie Thoms. Samuelson agreed because he was familiar with both Bob Muir and the Williams program. After a strong interview on the Williams campus when offered the job of head men's varsity and freshman teams he readily accepted. He began his Williams career in the fall of 1966.
Samuelson still marvels at how well Williams converted from an all-male institution to a co-ed school in early 1970s and he is proud of his role in the transition as the Director of Physical Education. "That easy transition to co-ed at Williams helped to establish women's varsity sports opportunities when many other colleges were struggling with the idea of being co-ed and implementing a women's sports experience," he stated.
Samuelson's first Williams women's varsity swimming and diving team began competing in the 1975-76 season. In 1982 the Eph women captured the first NCAA DIII championships and they won again in 1983. "Those two championships really elevated interest in our program and got us off to a great start at the championships, which continues today," noted Samuelson.
Steve Kuster's first season at Williams came in 1999-2000 when he was hired as the men's and women's head swimming coach replacing the retiring Samuelson. Kuster has since expanded his role at Williams with the addition of the title of Assistant Athletic Director.
Steve Kuster was a two-time All-American at the University of Pennsylvania where until recently he held four records. In 1992, he was a consolation finalist in the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Trials. After graduating in 1993, he was selected to the United States National Team and represented the country at the World University Games.
"I knew when I graduated from Penn I wanted to try coaching, but at that point I was not sure that I wanted to make it a career," Kuster noted. His first coaching opportunity after graduating from Penn was as an assistant coach with the Wilton Y Wahoos in Wilton, Conn.
After coaching with the Wahoos Kuster was soon hired as an assistant men's swimming coach at Harvard, where he coached for three years, helping lead the Crimson to three Ivy League titles and an 11th place finish at the 1998 NCAAs. Kuster also completed the requirements for a Master's Degree in Education while at Harvard.
Kuster even applied to be the Crimson's head coach when the head coach, Mike Chasson, who had hired him left to become the head coach at Arizona State," said Kuster. "I think it was a blessing that I didn't get that job, while I thought I was ready, I still had a lot to learn."
Kuster was somewhat familiar with the Williamstown area as his grandparents lived in Canaan, N.Y. and he would play at local golf courses with his grandfather and dad. Kuster had also swam at a club meet at Williams one summer in between college seasons, while he was swimming for the Wahoos.
Steve Kuster started at Williams in September of 1999, got married in Boston that October and began what he thought would be a 3-5 year run at Williams before making a bid to become a DI head coach.
What Kuster found at Williams and raising a family in Williamstown was so special he has not actively pursued any DI head coaching opportunities. "Williamstown is a beautiful area and a wonderful community to raise a family," he said.
Kuster is also most appreciative of the Williams Athletic Department experience, where he notes, "Everybody in our department is in coaching for all of the right reasons. Yes, they want to produce high level performances for their teams and individuals, but they also want what is best for the department and all of the athletes."
Samuelson and Kuster when asked what makes Williams special both agreed it is the combination of outstanding academics, a strong athletic program across the board, and the types of people who are attracted to Williams: students, faculty, staff, along with a very vibrant alumni network.
"Soon after I arrived I began to fully appreciate the liberal arts experience offered on this campus and I'm convinced that if you succeed here academically you can do anything you want to do in your life after Williams," Samuelson said. Kuster added, "Williams is academically challenging, but it isn't a cut throat atmosphere. It just seems most everything is in good balance here."
Carl Samuelson CSCAA 100 Bio
While much of the history of women's Division III is intertwined with Kenyon College, it was actually Carl Samuelson's Ephs that won the first two NCAA DIII Women's Championships. The two championships also netted the longtime coach his first two of three CSCAA Coach of the Year honors. Over more than a quarter century at Williams, Samuelson's swimmers achieved All-America status 340 times, captured 39 individual, and 23 relay NCAA titles and Liz Jex '83 earned a spot on the CSCAA100 list of Greatest Swimmers.
Steve Kuster CSCAA 100 Bio
In twenty-two years with Steve Kuster at the helm, the Williams College men and women have captured thirty-seven NESCAC titles and finished in the NCAA top ten 39 times. His success can be measured not just in volumes, but also in quantity. He has coached four* United States Olympic Trials Qualifiers, most among active Division III coaches, and three CSCAA100 Swimmers: Lindsay Payne '05, Logan Todhunter '12, and Caroline Wilson '13 . Kuster has been named NESCAC Women's Coach of the Year 14 times and CSCAA Division III Coach of the Year on four occasions.
*Kuster has coached nine United States Olympic Trials Qualifiers.
