July 28, 2015
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech swimming & diving head coach Courtney Shealy Hart announced Tuesday that Neil Versfeld has joined the staff as an assistant coach.
Versfeld is a former University of Georgia swimmer that was an NCAA Champion and NCAA record-holder in the 200 breast and a two-time SEC champion. He will serve as the team’s distance coach and act as the program’s academic liaison.
“We are thrilled to have Neil join our staff,” said Hart. “His experience as an international Olympian and NCAA Champion will be extremely valuable in helping our team reach its goals. In addition, his international connections will continue to help us recruit some of the finest student- athletes from all over the world.”
Versfeld replaces Yun Qu, who assumes a part-time coaching role with the Yellow Jackets in order to spend more time with her family.
“I’m thrilled to begin my collegiate coaching career at Georgia Tech,” said Versfeld. “I’d like to thank Coach Hart and the staff for the opportunity and I look forward to getting started. Tech offers a tremendous combination of athletics and academics and it’s exciting to be part of what Courtney is building here.”
Coming to Georgia Tech from Swim Atlanta, Versfeld served as the program’s head age group and masters coach since May 2013. Prior to that, he spent one year in Durban, South Africa as an assistant coach for the Seals Swimming Club.
Versfeld represented his native country of South Africa at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games where he was a semifinalist in the 200m breast. His international career was also highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Championships in Dubai, and semifinalist showings at both the 2009 World Championships in Rome and the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UGA, graduating in 2010 after a standout swimming career. Versfeld was a three-time member of the Academic All-American Honor Roll and the SEC Honor Roll.
