For Hollie Bonewit-Cron, swimming isn’t just her job it’s her passion. The NSU Swimming and Diving team head coach is a trailblazer and inspiration to her swimmers. A coach for ten years, Bronewit-Cron started her career as a Florida Gator. As the assistant men’s and women’s swim coach at the University of Florida, she assisted in coaching 16 female NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans to a sixth-place finish and 17 male NCAA qualifiers in swimming.
Also, Bonewit-Cron helped guide one American and seven International male and female swimmers to the 2004 Olympic Games, earning one gold and one silver medal.
But for Bonewit-Cron, work is just another day at the pool. According to swimming co-captain Devan Martin, an NSU senior, Cron is passionate about her student-athletes. “Coach is the hardest coach that I have had and a nice caring person, but as a coach she makes us strive to be the best swimmers. When I was transferring to NSU from the University of New Orleans, all I knew was that she had been a coach at Florida, which was a big deal, but I didn’t know that she was an All-American and all that stuff.”
With a background of a swimmer, Bronewit-Cron can sympathize with the hopes, fears, and aspirations of her swimmers. Martin believes that Coach Cron’s experience in swimming “gives her a great basis to work off of. She sees herself has a hard worker and she tries to get us to that same level.”
Since the start of the NSU Swimming and Diving program two years ago, Bonewit-Cron has been able to lead the team to great success. She was named the first female coach of a men’s and women’s team in school history.
For co-captain Okcar Nordstand, an NSU senior, none of that comes as a surprise. “It doesn’t really surprise me, with all the experience she has before she came here. She is well equipped when it comes to how to work with both male and female swimmers.”
Coming into the new season, the NSU Swimming and Diving team is an experienced group. With six returning seniors, they view the season as one of unfinished business. That’s pretty hard for a team with a National Champion, three Conference Championships, 26 All-American Swimmers, and an Olympic swimmer.
“I am amazed at what Coach has done in just three years as coach. The things we did last year and the year before, that is just amazing. And I’m sure there will be good things happening this year as well.” Nordtrand said.
Under Coach Bronewit Cron, the swimming and diving teams are growing and succeeding. With her leadership, the sky is the limit for NSU swimmers.
