Arena Swim USA will become the official equipment supplier to the university's men's and women's swim teams. The four-year deal marks Arena's entry into American university sports.
Auburn is one of the most decorated swim programs in NCAA history and 2009 Champions.
“This partnership represents an important step for our company,” said Giuseppe Musciacchio, Arena Marketing Director. “It confirms our strong commitment to be actively involved at various levels in the US swimming movement. After having recruited in our Elite Team of international swimming champions three outstanding testimonials from the United States – Aaron Peirsol, Eric Shanteau and Rebecca Soni – we strongly wanted to be also a protagonist in the American University Sports environment, to be close to those youngsters who are likely to be the big Champions of tomorrow.”
The Auburn Men's and Women's swimming teams have continually been among the top-ranked programs in the national polls throughout the regular season leading up to the NCAA Championships. The men's team has won eight NCAA championship titles (2009, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 1999 and 1997), while the women have captured five national titles (2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002).
The Auburn team is led by Head Coach Brett Hawke, one of the most highly regarded swimming coaches in the world. In the last two years, Hawke has trained some of the most elite of swimmers including Cesar Filho Cielo (50m freestyle Olympic and world champion and 100m freestyle world champion) and Frederic Bousquet (Olympic silver in the 4x100m freestyle, world silver and bronze in the 50m and 100m freestyle).
“Arena has been a leader in technological advancements in swimwear for many years. When I looked around the pool deck in Beijing (2008 Olympics) and Rome (2009 World Championships), most of the great champions were wearing Arena. At that point I decided there was only one company that was able to match the level of excellence that Auburn University has achieved in swimming. That was Arena” Head Coach and Olympic coach, Brett Hawke said.
The outstanding athletic level and excellent champion tradition of the Auburn swimming team is confirmed by the copious presence of athletes from this University at the 2008 Olympic Games, where 16 Auburn swimmers took part, with five of them bringing home a record 13 medals. Cielo was the first swimmer in Auburn's history to win gold in the 50m freestyle.
World class swimmers have and continue to train at Auburn including Arena endorsed athlete Eric Shanteau.
In February, the Auburn swim team will be competing in the Missouri Grand Prix that will take the team to the Southeastern Conference finals. Following conference competition, those who qualified will participate in the NCAA Championships. The women will compete in West Lafayette, Ind., March 19-21, while the men travel to Columbus, Ohio, March 25-27.
Arena is distributed in the United States by Arena Swim USA, based in Carlsbad, California.
