Coaching-
RoseAnn Benson joins the BYU swim and dive coaching staff as a well-accomplished coach and educator. Her coaching career began in 1973 where she was the head girls swimming coach at St. Petersburg Catholic High School in St. Pete, Florida. She then became a graduate assistant swimming coach for both the men and women’s teams at BYU from 1976–77. She moved to California to become the assistant men and women’s swim coach at San Diego State University from 1977-78.
After a five-year stint at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia as the head swimming and diving coach, she took her talents to Carbondale, Illinois where she acted as a graduate assistant coach for the men and women’s swim team at Southern Illinois University from 1986-89.
She returned to California as the head swim and dive coach for San Jose State University and resided there from 1991-98. Her last move before returning to BYU was to Florida where she acted as assistant coach and interim head coach for West Florida Lightning Aquatics.
Throughout her many years of coaching, Benson has coached numerous All-Americans including Meg McCully, US National Champion in the 200 backstroke.
Education-
Benson began her education at BYU where she received first a B.A. in physical education with minors in history, biology and a K-12 teaching certification. She then received an M.S. in exercise sciences with a minor in health sciences at BYU before gaining a PhD received at Southern Illinois in community and school health with an emphasis in nutrition. She recently finished with an M.A. in ancient near eastern studies with an emphasis in religious education, also at BYU.
Awards-
Benson has received many prestigious awards for both her coaching and educational career including a 15-year service award for college coaching from the American College Swim Coaches Association. She received a Dean’s fellowship for her master’s thesis at BYU, which was with Olympic backstroke gold medalist John Naber and silver medalist Peter Rocca.
Benson also received a USA Swimming Research Fellowship in Colorado for her PhD dissertation, which was on disordered eating among the women swimmers at the 1988 Olympic Trials. She also obtained a Doctoral Research Fellowship while at Southern Illinois.