Women's Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Tom Cousins Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach
- Phone:
- 706-542-7946
- Email:
- smoreno@sports.uga.edu
Stefanie Williams Moreno, a 28-time All-American and six-time national champion for Georgia as an athlete and coach, enters her fourth season as the head coach of the women’s swimming and diving team. Williams Moreno previously served for four seasons as Associate Head Coach after serving six years as a Bulldog assistant, working primarily with the backstroke and middle distance groups.
Tom Cousins Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach (2022-pres.)
In her first year at the helm, Williams Moreno led Georgia to a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a sixth-place finish at the SEC Championships. At NCAAs, the Bulldogs earned 21 All-America citations, including seven First Team citations. Sophomore Rachel Stege reached the championship final in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle, while teammate Dune Coetzee joined her in the 500. Earlier at SECs, Stege won the conference title in the 500, while senior Zoie Hartman prevailed in the 200 IM. Overall, the team earned 10 SEC medals and set 30 personal-best times in College Station.
In her second season, Williams Moreno guided the Bulldogs up three spots to a 13th-place at the NCAA Championships in Athens, following a fifth-place finish at SEC Championships. Junior Abby McCulloh capped off a career year by winning the NCAA championship in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a personal-best and pool-record time of 15:37.74, becoming the first Bulldog national champion since 2016. McCulloh became the 48th different athlete to win a championship, increasing the program total to 154. During the season, she also won the SEC championship in the mile and earned First Team All-America honors in the 500y freestyle, along with setting two pool records in the 1,000y freestyle. She also excelled in the classroom with SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, National Academic All-District, and UGA Presidential Scholars honors.
Stege and Coetzee picked up First Team honors in the 500y freestyle, with Stege also earning a silver medal at SECs. Coetzee joined sophomore Shea Furse, senior Sloane Reinstein, and Hartman to finish sixth in the 800y freestyle relay, helping Hartman finish her career with a program-record 31 All-America citations. Junior Eboni McCarty posted the three fastest times of her career in the 100y backstroke at NCAAs, finishing 10th overall. Senior Julianna Stephens, junior Bri Roberson, sophomore Emma Norton, and freshman Helena Jones also earned All-America awards on relays at NCAAs.
In her third season, the Bulldogs earned a 16th-place finish, with all 12 swimmers on the roster earning All-America honors at the NCAA Championships in Federal Way, Washington. Senior Abby McCulloh finished fourth in the 1,650 freestyle, earning her third top-five finish in the event in four seasons, while fellow senior Rachel Stege earned her third-consecutive championship final appearance in the 500 freestyle. With Stege's appearance, the Bulldogs have now placed a swimmer in the 500 free championship final in 17 of the past 20 seasons. Prior to NCAAs, Georgia earned a fourth-place finish at the SEC Championships, with McCulloh and Stege each earning silver medals.
Assistant Coach / Associate Head Coach (2012-22)
In her final season as an associate head coach (2021-22), freshman Matthew Sates and Magahey finished 1-2 in the 500 freestyle at NCAAs, while sophomore Luca Urlando set an American Record in the 100 backstroke. Additionally, under Williams Moreno’s watch, freshmen Coetzee, McCarty, and McCulloh all earned All-America citations.
In the 2020-21 season, Williams Moreno’s middle distance swimmers formed one of the Bulldogs’ strongest groups, led by an third-consecutive SEC championship from All-American Courtney Harnish (500 freestyle) and an NCAA championship from Jake Magahey (500 freestyle). In the backstroke, senior Javier Acevedo won his second SEC individual title (100 backstroke), while four Bulldog men qualified for NCAAs in backstroke events.
In 2017, she was inducted into the UGA Circle of Honor, which recognizes extraordinary student-athletes and coaches who bring honor the university and themselves by their performance and conduct.
Before returning to Athens, Williams Moreno spent four years with the Ohio State women’s team, including serving in 2011-12 as associate head coach. She was an assistant coach for the Missouri men and women for three years after beginning her coaching career at Bloomsburg University in the 2004-05 season.
Prior to Coaching
Williams Moreno helped the Lady Bulldogs win three NCAA and three SEC titles during her career from 1998-2002. She earned the maximum 28 All-America certificates (24 First-Team and four Honorable Mention). Williams Moreno was a member of four national championship relays, helping the 200 and 400 freestyle relays set American records in 2002.
Williams Moreno was a two-time SEC champion in the 200 freestyle and was on 10 victorious relays at the SECs. She left Georgia with the school mark in the 200 freestyle. A team captain her senior year, Williams Moreno twice was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and graduated with a degree in Sports Communications.
Personal
She married Brandon Moreno in May 2017. The couple resides in Athens with their bulldog, Winnie.
