Bob Clemmer was named St. Lawrence's head men's and women's swimming and diving coach in August, 2000. He also serves as the Aquatic Director for the Augsbury Center pool facility and is the Director of Intramurals.
Clemmer had over 20 years of coaching experience prior to coming to St. Lawrence. He served as the head coach with the Chartiers Valley Swim Club (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Pittsburgh Aquatic Club, Team Delaware Swim Team and the New Jersey Wave. Clemmer helped produce 25 High School All-Americans, several Olympic trial and national finalists, national champions as well as Pan Pacific, Pan American and Olympic Festival medalists.
Along with his extensive club coaching experience, he spent over 10 years coaching at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia. He has had the opportunity to coach student-athletes of all talent levels, from Division I All-Americans to a 1996 USA Olympic team qualifier. Pittsburgh and Virginia were consistently ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA during Clemmer's tenure as an assistant.
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native has collected many accolades for his hard work and dedication to swimming and diving. He earned the honor of coaching the 1995 and 1997 USA National Junior Teams. Clemmer has been the head coach at the 1993 and 1995 Olympic Festival and was the head individual medley coach for the 1994 and 1997 USA National Distance camps.
Clemmer is just as adamant about academics as he is about swimming. His St. Lawrence consistently earn CSCAA Scholar All-America honors. He has a desire to not only develop his student-athletes into the best possible swimmers they can be, but to have them carry these lessons from the pool to the classroom and life. Improving upon each swimmers training efficiency, technical refinement along with their emotional and competitive maturity are just a few of the traits Clemmer strives to develop.
His goal at St. Lawrence is to provide a healthy environment for the swimmers to develop as student-athletes and as a person. Clemmer believes that through teaching the team concept he can achieve this goal. Enthusiasm and communication between the swimmers, staff and administration are benchmarks of the St. Lawrence tradition and philosophy, and these are the characteristics which Clemmer believes will develop a sense of belonging and mutual respect among the Saints' swimmers.
