WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW alum and former assistant coach Todd DeSorbo won five rings during his time with the Seahawk swimming and diving programs and a few more in a subsequent coaching stint at NC State.
Make room for one more. A big one.
DeSorbo, now the head coach at Virginia, is basking in the glory of the Atlantic Coast Conference school's first NCAA championship in women's swimming and diving after the Cavaliers won the NCAA meet last Saturday (March 20) at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
The Cavaliers became the first ACC team to win an NCAA crown in women's swimming and diving. NC State finished second with 354 points and Texas came in third at 344.5.
"It was a little surreal, it really was," DeSorbo said from his office in Charlottesville this week. "To win it in any given year is really special. To win it in a Covid year is that much more special with all of the challenges we had. Becoming the first Virginia team to win it is even more special. It's taken a little while to sink in.
"A lot of my former teammates from UNCW have reached out and, honestly, they've been doing it throughout my coaching career. They have been very supportive…this was no different.
"Coach (Dave) Allen emailed me after every single session to congratulate us and give us words of encouragement as we went along. It's a special feeling to win, but also special to share it with people who care about you and support you as well."
Early Tuesday, DeSorbo was named the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association's (CSCAA) Division I Women's Team Coach of the Year. The awards were determined by a nationwide vote of CSCAA-member Division I head swimming coaches and head diving coaches. One additional vote was determined by the public via online polling.
DeSorbo's ring collection has grown to 13 in number and each has a certain memory attached to it, including the Colonial Athletic Association title hardware he earned.
"I came to UNCW to enjoy the sport and work hard," he reflected. "I wanted to have a good experience. As a coach, I try to emulate that with our program. It's about having a great relationship with a coach who not only wants to get the most out of you as a student-athlete, but also cares about you as a human. At the end of the day, we coach them for four years and they move on with their lives.
"Coach Allen's ability to have relationships with his student-athletes was unreal. I try my best to incorporate that in my coaching philosophy, but I don't think anyone can match him on that. If I can be 50 percent of what he was in that respect, I will have been successful."
DeSorbo was hired at Virginia in August of 2017 after serving as associate head coach at NC State for six seasons.
A native of Salisbury, N.C., DeSorbo earlier spent five years as an assistant coach at UNCW. He assisted with all facets of the Seahawk program under Allen, including recruiting, student-athlete development and practice. The Seahawk men won five of 10 straight CAA titles and the women finished in the top-three of the conference every year during his time in the Port City. He also worked as a graduate assistant from 1999-2000.
As a collegiate swimmer, DeSorbo began his career at Kentucky before transferring to UNCW in 1998-99. During his senior season with the Seahawks, DeSorbo was named CAA Championships Swimmer of the Meet in 1999 after winning titles in the 200 backstroke, and both the 200 and 400 individual medley. He set school records in both the 200 and 400 individual medley, and made the All-ECAC team in 1999 by winning the 400 individual medley at the Eastern Championships.
DeSorbo holds two accounting degrees from UNCW, earning a Bachelor's Degree in 1999 and a Master's Degree in 2000. He is married to former UNCW diver Lauren Suggs.
