Fresno State head coaches flipped pancakes and helped serve at the 37th annual Vintage Days Pancake Breakfast.
Going into her fourth season as head coach, returning her first seniors who have been with the program for the full four years, a strong incoming freshman class and the excitement that comes with the completion of a new pool on campus, head swimming coach Jeanne Fleck leads her squad of Bulldogs into battle in the 2011-11 season as she continues her quest to build a strong competitive force in the Valley.
In her third season as head coach of the Fresno State women's the Bulldog's 2010-11 season was highlighted by two divers competing at the NCAA Zones, seven Fresno State records broken at the WAC Championship Meet, three Dogs earning WAC swimmer and diver of the week honors and many other outstanding performances.
Fleck led the Dogs to the Lone Star State to compete at the Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio for the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championship Meet. The Bulldogs excelled and broke seven Fresno State records at the meet and finished in seventh-place. The Dogs broke four relay records and three were broken individually.
Fleck coached sophomore standout Dani Yoho who concluded a fabulous second-season for the Bulldogs, contributing to the breaking of six records and an NCAA b-cut qualifying time. Yoho shattered the Fresno State record in the 100-yard freestyle race. She placed fourth in the preliminaries with a time of 50.20 and also placed fourth in the finals. She was also the last leg of the record breaking 400-yard freestyle relay team. She along with three other Bulldogs clocked a time of 3:25.68.
Fleck led her team to four dual-meet victories, including the home opening win against Fresno Pacific. The Dogs also topped Cal State East Bay, UCSB and CSUB. Her team placed second in The Valley Invite, which was the team's highest finish in three years of competing. Fleck, who is very optimistic about the future of the swimming and diving team at Fresno State, continues her quest to field a strong, competitive team by recruiting talented and accomplished student athletes.
Prior to her third year as head coach of the Fresno State women's swimming and diving team, Jeanne Fleck had completed a 2009-2010 season in which she developed a vastly improved and successful young team. The Division I Fresno State swimming and diving team recorded three dual meet victories during the 2009-2010 season, and then proved their ability to be competitive at the WAC championship meet.
Fleck coached the Bulldog swim team through a challenging, but rewarding 2009-2010 season that included a grueling schedule consisting of dual meets against WAC rivals, Nevada and San Jose State, along with nationally ranked opponents such as UCLA and Kansas. Possibly, the team's greatest contest came in the fourth week of the season when Fleck led the Bulldogs in a meet against the defending national champion Cal Bears.
In her second season at Fresno State, Fleck proved that a bright future was on the horizon for the Bulldogs, as she began coaching an impressive class of incoming freshmen. The 2009-2010 team was anchored by standout swimmer, Dani Yoho, a freshman freestyle swimmer from Sugarland, Texas. Yoho shattered a decade old Fresno State swimming record in the 50 free event with a time of 23.64 and qualified for finals at the WAC Championships, bringing home a seventh place finish. Also, Fleck returned nine proven letter winners, including two-time Norwegian national champion, Heidi Gjoen. Gjoen not only compiled an impressive resume in her freshman campaign by finishing third in the WAC Championships in the 200 backstroke and breaking a nine year school record in that event, but she built on that success during the 2009-2010 season by recording the second fastest time in the WAC in the 200 backstroke event.
In addition, under Fleck, the Bulldogs capped off the impressive 2009-2010 season with a clutch performance in the final day of the WAC Championships that enabled the team to secure an eighth place finish. Additionally, Fleck had several student athletes qualify for the championship finals in multiple single events, and the team recorded season best times in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle relays, along with the 200 medley relay. The team's 400 freestyle relay time enabled them to surpass Idaho in the WAC standings. The accumulation of 217 WAC Championship meet points, which was nearly two times more than that of the previous year's total, indicated the commitment coach Fleck has to the growth and development of the women's swimming and diving team.
During her first season as head coach of the newly reinstated swimming and diving team at Fresno State, Fleck recruited an impressive team of swimmers and divers. Her team of young Bulldogs practiced diligently and demonstrated that they had the drive and commitment to compete with the best teams in the WAC. Fleck led the `Dogs through a challenging 2008-2009 schedule that included opponents such as WAC rivals San Jose State and Boise State, along with non conference teams, UC- Davis, Cal State-Bakersfield, and other nationally recognized swimming and diving teams. A commitment to fierce training, intense focus, and constructive team work, both in and out of the pool, led to team-wide improvement in personal best times and numerous first places finishes in individual events and relays.
Many swimmers achieved qualifying times in preliminary rounds of the 2008-2009 WAC Championship meet, giving the Bulldogs a solid representation in the finals after a five-year absence at the championships. Fleck also coached the team to season best times in the 200 and 800 freestyle relays while at the WAC Championships. The team's preliminary 200 freestyle relay time fell just one half second short of breaking the school record.
Not only is Fleck developing a solid foundation and momentum for Fresno State swimming that will continue for years to come, she continues to emphasize the importance of success both in the pool and in the classroom. The Women's Swimming and Diving team earned 2008-2009 women's team Speedo Academic All-American recognition by earning a 3.10 GPA for the fall semester. Academic All-WAC honors were also earned by eight swimmers and divers in the 2008-2009 season. Nine swimmers were honored for academic achievement in 2009-2010.
Prior to being named head swimming coach at Fresno State on April 19, 2008, Fleck was the head women's swimming and diving coach at Ohio State University. In nine seasons at Ohio State, Fleck worked to improve the academic and competitiveness of the Buckeye's program on the conference and national levels.
In 2006-2007, with Fleck's guidance, the Buckeyes finished 6-3 overall and placed eighth in the Big Ten Championships and qualified two swimmers to the 2007 NCAA Championships. Her team achieved a second place finish at the second annual Ohio State Invitational.
While at Ohio State, Fleck's teams recorded 12 school records, had 53 Academic All-Big Ten selections, and 98 OSU Scholar-Athletes. The Buckeyes held the highest grade point average in the Big Ten in 2004 and were ranked ninth scholastically in the country during the fall quarter of 2003.
Fleck coached former Buckeye swimmer, Gulsah Gunenc, at 2004 at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Gunenc qualified to represent her country of Turkey in two events: the 100 and 200 meter butterfly. A veteran to international competition, Gunenc was joined by two more of Fleck's swimmers at the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships, where each swimmer placed in the top 16 in their respective events. Gunenc and fellow Buckeye, Griet Buelens went on to extend their international resumes by competing at the European Championships.
Before taking over the Ohio State program in 1999, Fleck was head coach of the combined women and men's team at Northern Illinois University for eight years. In her final season at NIU, Fleck was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year after she led her teams to third and fifth place finishes. Her teams set 18 school records and had four swimmers named conference swimmers of the year. She coached a 1999 Goodwill Games finalist, a Pan-American Games team member, and a 1996 Olympic trials finalist.
In her final season at NIU, 20 swimmers finished the academic year with a 3.0 or higher GPA, including five student/athletes with a 3.50 or better. Her 1996-1997 women's team was named to the Top 10 Academic All-American Swimming Team Honor Roll by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) with a team GPA of 3.19. Fleck also served as the assistant director of Providing Athletes with Support (P.A.W.S.), a student/athlete advisory group at NIU.
A graduate of Iowa State University, Fleck was a Big Eight champion and team captain her senior year. She earned a bachelor's degree in education.
After graduation from Iowa State, Fleck served as a volunteer assistant for her alma mater's men's team. In 1988, she was the head coach of the Des Moines Swim Federation. From 1988-1991, she was the distance coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Wyoming.
