Vaz De Negri To Lead Team USA
Portland coach, OSU grad takes over National Team Program

November 21, 2001

Dr. Linai Vaz De Negri, an accomplished age group, collegiate and elite coach in the United States since 1989, accepted one of the most coveted positions in the world of synchronized swimming this week when she was named National Team Director of U.S. Synchronized Swimming.

As National Team Director, Vaz De Negri will oversee the administration of the three U.S. National Teams, including the selection of athletes, designing training regimes, selection of coaching staffs, managers, trainers and consultants, and development of the national talented athlete program to identify potential national team caliber athletes.

Vaz De Negri, who currently coaches the nationally ranked Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) Synchro program in Portland, Ore., succeeds Heather Olson, who resigned her post in August to become the head coach at Stanford University. Vaz De Negri begins her duties on Nov. 26.

"I am very excited about the possibilities ahead. My goal is to return the U.S. back to the top of the world rankings. I hope to bring leadership and vision to the relentless pursuit of excellence of the U.S. National Team program," Vaz De Negri said.

"It is difficult to leave my beloved team and the program I built behind, but I believe this opportunity is a unique chance to make a difference in a greater scale. I thank the many people who have shown support and placed trust on me to accept this position."

Vaz De Negri served as an assistant coach at Ohio State University from 1989-1996, helping the Buckeyes to seven national championships. She then took over MAC Synchro in 1997, building the program from the ground up to consistent finals placements in national championship events and National Team Trials. During that time, she has also served as the chief clinician and camp director for the R&R Sports Academy national summer synchro camps.

On the international level, Vaz De Negri has coached national team athletes in Great Britain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela, and is considered one of the world's foremost researchers on the sport of synchronized swimming. Her clinic credits include the 1999 FINA World Sports Medicine Congress in Hong Kong and the 2001 FINA Judges and Coaches Seminar in Federal Way, Wash., along with numerous FINA Congresses and IOC sponsored events.

"Linai's experience on the international level and administrative experience in both age group and elite programs makes her the perfect candidate for National Team Director," USSS Executive Director Terry Harper said. "Not only is she very knowledgeable about the sport of synchronized swimming, its mechanics and its intricacies, but she has also demonstrated the passion and confidence needed to improve the United States National Team program along with our international standing."

Vaz De Negri, 36, is the third National Team Director in the history of U.S. Synchronized Swimming, following 16-year national team program founder Charlotte Davis and Olson.

Vaz De Negri, originally from Porto Alegre, Brazil, is a six-time Brazilian national champion in speed swimming and former South American record holder in the 200 backstroke. She earned a Master's in Movement Arts from The Ohio State University in 1992 and a Doctorate in Somatics (Sports and Human Performance) from OSU in 1996 before serving as a professor of Human Movement Analysis at University of Southern Brazil graduate school in 1996-97.

Vaz De Negri is married to Alex De Negri and has two children, Victoria, 9, and Andre, 6.

For more information, contact Media Relations Director Brian Eaton at 317-237-5700.