Head Coach Byron MacDonald will continue to build on a legacy that already has made him one of the most successful university coaches in the country.
“I plan to coach until at least the year 2020,”said MacDonald.
One of Canada’s most decorated university coaches, MacDonald has coached over 200 swimmers to all-Canadian status and over 70 swimmers to international teams. He has guided his teams to 42 conference team championships (25 men and 17 women) and 15 national championship titles (nine womens and six mens). Byron was an Olympic coach in 1992, where his swimmer won a bronze medal, and was head coach for Canada’s successful FISU & Pan Pacific games teams.
A former national team member, Byron was ranked top 10 in the world for five years in the 1970s and won many medals, including two golds at the Commonwealth Games. He also placed sixth at the Olympic Games in the 100m butterfly.
He has been voted coach of the year many times, most recently at the 2010 and 2012 OUA and CIS championships. Byron is a two-time winner of a Gemini Award for his CBC coverage of swimming at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He holds a B.Comm. and a Master’s in Recreation and is the proud father of three children.
Assistant coach Linda Kiefer is Canada’s highest-ranked female coach and has been head coach of Canada’s FISU games team, an assistant coach for the Commonwealth Games and World Championship teams, and most recently coached 2012 open water Canadian champion Zsofi Balazs at the 2012 Olympic Games. Linda is a full time employee of U of T as the assistant swim coach.
Also an expert in open water, she has coached swimmers to several national titles. Linda is a graduate of U of T and swam for the Blues as a backstroker. She graduated with both undergraduate and teaching degrees. Linda has been named CIS and OUA coach of the year.
