BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Sept. 16, 2015) - On Thursday, LIU Post Director of Athletics and Recreation Bryan Collins announced Michael Travers as the second head coach in the 13-year history of the Pioneers' women's swimming program.

"We would like to welcome Mike Travers back to our Pioneer family. He has been part of our swim team since the beginning," Collins stated. "He was instrumental in the success brought to our program, in such a quick time. We look forward to him being back and leading the program."

Meanwhile, former head coach Maureen Travers, who spent 13 seasons at the helm of the program, will remain aboard as an assistant coach.

Michael is no stranger to Brookville, as he served as an assistant under his sister, Maureen, for 11 seasons (2002-13). He spent one year with the men's and women's swimming teams at the United States Military Academy in 2013-14, and then moved on to work with Team Suffolk, a local USA Swimming club.

In those capacities, Travers designed daily training for swimmers, used technology to enhance athletic performance, assisted in the development of the meet schedule and recruitment, and managed the team's budget spending.

"It is an honor to return to the LIU Post women's swimming program as the head coach," said Travers. "I look forward to working with the team and expect great results for the year. We have a talented group and I am excited to be here." 

His coaching accomplishments have included over 50 NCAA All-Americans and CSCAA Scholar All-Americans, 15 USA Swimming Senior National Qualifiers and numerous Metropolitan Conference champions and record-holders.

Most notably, in 2013, Travers, as a member of the Pioneers' coaching staff, assisted in guiding Joyce Kwok to an NCAA Division II National Championship in the 200-yard butterfly. His efforts mentored the team's 400-yard medley relay squad to a national title that same season, as well.

Travers, a four-time American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Coach of Excellence, collected his own personal achievements in the pool, as well. He was a USA Swimming Senior and Junior National Qualifier, and captured the Senior National Championship in the 4x100-meter relay in 1991.

Maureen's impressive resume at LIU Post included three Metropoltan Conference Championships and Women's Coach of the Year nods, in addition to a 79-49 career record (.617 winning percentage) in dual meets. She mentored Pioneer swimmers to a total of 74 All-America honors, four of whom were national champions, and 19 student-athletes to Scholar All-America status. In the classroom, her teams consistently remained in the upper echelon of Division II, as LIU Post was one of the top two programs in the nation in grade-point average for six consecutive seasons. One of Travers' swimmers, Tamara Garriock, was named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Team in 2014.

Michael Travers, a 23-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York, received his bachelor's degree from La Salle University in 1991. He currently resides in Rockville Centre, N.Y.