Steve Jungbluth enters his fifth season as the Associate men’s head coach and 13th season as a member of the Gators coaching staff.
Jungbluth spent his first eight years at the sprint coach, guiding nine Gators to a top-10 program swim in the 50 free. In 2018 when the programs became split, his role expanded and now has a hand in multiple groups across the team under his current title of Men’s Associate Head Coach.
Florida secured its 10th straight SEC Championship during the 2021-22 season, tallying eight gold medals during his fourth season. At the 2021 NCAA Championships, the Gators finished third in back-to-back seasons with 367 points, winning three national titles (one individual, two relays) and earning 42 All-American honors.
In the 2020-21 season, the Gators tallied their best finish in the NCAA Championships, finishing third with 367 points and recording 30 All-American honors. At SEC’s, Florida registered its 42nd overall SEC Championship, and ninth in a row with 15 medals – eight gold, four silver, and three bronze. Kieran Smith set the American, NCAA, US Open, SEC and school record in the 500 free, as the Gators set records in six different events.
Under his leadership and guidance in his second season in this role, the Gators would go on to win their eighth-consecutive and 41st overall Southeastern Conference Championship in 2019-20. At SEC’s, the Gators would win the five-day competition with 1,194 points, reeling in 15 medals – five gold, four silver and six bronze- as well as five event titles- four individual and one relay.
The Gators would shatter multiple records at the 2020 SEC meet, breaking the conference record in the 800 free on the first night of competition, highlighted by Kieran Smith setting a new 200 free SEC and school record to lead-off UF’s historic relay. Smith (500 free) and Robert Finke (1,650 free) would go on shatter new American records in their respective events to lead Florida. Smith would go on to add another SEC title in the 400 IM, with Khader Baqlah earning UF’s final event title in the 200 free for the second time in his career.
Florida was well-represented in the SEC postseason awards as Smith was named the 2020 Male Swimmer of the Year, the eighth-time a Florida swimmer has won the award in Jungbluth’s tenure. Overall, Jungbluth has coached four different swimmers that have earned the accolade. The Gators landed a league-best 13 swimmers on the All-SEC team. Five earned First Team distinctions for their role in the 2020 SEC event titles, while eight landed on the Second Team.
The 2019-20 squad had 14 swimmers invited to compete at the 2020 NCAA Championship meet, the third-most in the country, prior to its cancellation. Those 14 Gators would go on to earn a total of 38 College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-America honors (fifth-most in the nation).
Florida amassed an overall regular season record of 7-2 in Jungbluth’s second season, including a conference mark of 2-2. The team would defeat three out of four possible ranked opponents, and posted a perfect home record of 3-0. Throughout their nine meets, 22 different Gators would notch 124 event victories. Additionally, 52 Gator times or scores found its way on the top-20 SEC marks set throughout the regular season.
In the classroom, the Gators placed 17 individuals on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll, as well as eight on the conference’s First-Year Academic Honor Roll. Florida earned national recognition for their academic achievements as well. The Gators were honored as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team after posing a 3.33 team GPA during the Spring semester and had 11 individuals land on the CSCAA Scholar All-America First and Second Teams.
During his first season as associate head coach in 2018-19, he helped guide the Gators to their seventh-straight SEC Championships and a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Under the tutelage of Jungbluth, five sprinters finished with top-five fastest time in program history. He was instrumental in the development of freshman Kacper Stokowski, who earned All-American status by swimming the second-fasted 100 back time in program history, and Will Davis, who posted the third-fastest 50 free time at the SEC Championships. During the 2018-19 campaign, the Gators amassed a regular season record of 9-1, including a 7-1 record over ranked opponents and 5-0 against the SEC. Jungbluth coached 16 All-Americans, 11 All-SEC selections, five SEC All-Freshman and the Co-Freshman Swimmers of the Year in his first year as Associate men’s head coach.
In the 2017-18 campaign, Jungbluth coached Caeleb Dressel to his seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth National Championships in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 free relay. Caeleb Dressel set a new American, NCAA, US Open and UF record in the 100 free with a mark of 39.90 which surpassed the mark of 40.00 he set in the previous year. Caeleb Dressel was named the SEC Swimmer of the Year and the CSCAA Swimmer of the Year, both for the third straight season. Under Jungbluth’s guidance, the Gators totaled 33 All-American honors from 11 different athletes. Under the tutelage of Jungbluth, Florida collected 10 First-Team All-SEC accolades as well as two second-team nods. Jungbluth helped Sherridon Dressel and Brooke Madden to achieve All-American Honorable Mention accolades.
In the 2016-17 season, Jungbluth coached Caeleb Dressel to his fourth, fifth and sixth National Championships in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 butterfly. His mark of 40.00 set UF, NCAA, American and U.S. Open records. Dressel took home his second-straight Co-CSCAA Male Swimmer of the Year award as well. Along with Dressel, Mark Szaranek won the 200 IM National Championship, the first of his career. Newcomer Maxime Rooney became the 10th SEC Male Freshman of the Year under Jungbluth and Head Coach Greg Troy’s tutelage to win the honor after his performance in the pool.
In the 2015-16 season, Jungbluth once again coached Dressel to a National Championship, or in this case two. Dressel won the 50 Free and 100 free to take home the second and third National Championship of his career. Dressel earned Co-CSCAA Male Swimmer of the Year. Overall at the NCAA Championships, the Florida Gator Men tallied 37 All-America honors between nine of them. He also coached 11 of the women’s swimmers and two divers into qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Seven of those 13 were making their NCAA debut and 11 of the 13 will return for competition this coming season. Under his direction, Autumn Finke was named All-SEC Second Team and Emma Ball earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
In the 2014-15 season, Jungbluth coached Caeleb Dressel to UF’s first-ever 50-yard freestyle (18.67) NCAA Championship, which he achieved on day one of the NCAA meet. Dressel became the ninth Gator swimmer under Jungbluth and Head Coach Gregg Troy’s tutelage to win SEC Male Freshman of the Year. At the conference meet, Dressel won the 100-yard butterfly title in an outstanding time of 45.28 seconds. That mark not only ranked him second all-time in school history but it was the second-quickest in the U.S. 17-18 year old age group. The Florida men set seven of a possible 18 school records.
In 2013-14, Jungbluth helped the Gators break eight UF sprint records in four individual events and four relays. Individually, Natalie Hinds’ set the new standard in the 50-yard (21.66) and 100-yard freestyle (47.40) races. Meanwhile Brad deBorde broke the same two records on the men’s side with times of 18.86 and 42.18 seconds, respectively. At the 2014 NCAA Championships, Jungbluth tutored deBorde to a third-place finish in the 50-yard free at NCAA’s following his victory in the same event at the SEC Championships a weeks earlier. His sprinters helped lead the men’s team to its second consecutive SEC Championship and 35th overall, as well as a third-place team finish at the national meet. The women placed third at SEC’s and six at NCAA’s.
In 2012-13, Jungbluth guided Hinds to seven All-America honors and three SEC titles. For her efforts, Hinds was named the SEC Female Freshman of the Year. In addition on the women’s squad, Jungbluth coached Ellese Zalewski to swim UF’s second fastest time in the 50-yard free (22.04) at the 2013 NCAA Championships. On the men’s side, deBorde finished runner-up in the 50-yard free (19.12) at the 2013 SEC Championships and fifth in the same event at NCAA’s. Also, Pawel Werner won the 200-yard free (1:33.23) at SEC’s and earned four All-America honors at the national meet.
Combining the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Jungbluth tutored one national champion, three All-Americans and one SEC champion.
Before his time in Gainesville, Jungbluth spent seven seasons (2003-10) as the head coach at Colgate, where he led the Raiders to the top of the Patriot League. His women’s squads won the league title in two of his last three seasons in Hamilton, N.Y.
In the 2008-09 season, his women’s team cruised to its second consecutive conference crown and the second-highest point total ever generated in the three-day event. At that meet, Colgate won titles in 14 of 18 swimming events, set 18 team records, and 14 meet records. In the 2007-08 campaign, the Raiders’ women’s team won its first Patriot League championship in program history. Colgate had 11 individuals earn All-Conference honors and six take home individual championships.
During the 2005-06 campaign, Jungbluth led Colgate’s women’s team to a perfect record through its dual-meet schedule, which included wins over the Naval Academy and four-time defending league champion Bucknell. Colgate defeated Navy for the first time in school history while it beat the Bison for the first time in 21 years. In his first season at Colgate (2003-04), Jungbluth earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors after leading the women’s team to a second-place finish at the conference championships. At the time, it was the highest finish at a conference meet in the history of the women’s program. In addition, the men’s squad finished with a 9-5 record in 2004, which was Colgate’s highest number of victories in 20 seasons.
Prior to taking over at Colgate, Jungbluth served as an assistant coach for three seasons at Navy. During his time there, he produced nine Patriot League champions, six Patriot League record-setting performances, two Patriot League Championship Swimmers of the Meet and one team championship.
Jungbluth began his coaching career as an assistant coach and later interim head coach at NCAA Division III Amherst College (Mass.). As an assistant at Amherst, he helped coach seven New England champions, 10 All-Americans and 13 honorable-mention All-Americans. In addition, the Jeffs broke 41 varsity and pool records during his tenure. The men’s team posted a perfect 10-0 dual meet record during the 1995-96 season.
Jungbluth earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1994 and a master’s degree in exercise science from UMass, in 1997. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Minutemen, serving as a co-captain during his senior season.
The Steve Jungbluth File
Hometown: Westford, Mass.
Education:
- B.S. in Exercise Science, University of Massachusetts, 1994
- Master’s in Exercise Science, University of Massachusetts, 1997
Coaching Career:
- Associate Head Coach, University of Florida, 2018-Present
- Assistant Coach, University of Florida, 2010-2018
- Head Coach, Colgate University, 2003-10
- Assistant Coach, US Naval Academy, 2000-03
- Head Coach, Austin College, 1999-2000
- Assistant Coach/Interim Head Coach, Amherst (Mass.) College, 1995-98
