Eric Bugby embarks upon his third season as an assistant swim coach on the Army staff. Bugby will continue to work primarily with the Black Knights' sprinters, while also coordinating the team's video analysis.
Last year, Bugby helped the Black Knights shatter the Academy record in the 400-yard freestyle relay. He also mentored former Army sprinter Alyssa Tran break the school standard in the 50 free. Dan Foky, one of Bugby's top sprinters on the men's side took gold in both the 50 free and 100 free versus Navy in 2011.
Bugby arrived at West Point after serving a one-year stint as an assistant coach with the Emmaus Aquatic Club in Emmaus, Pa. Within the last 18 months, he has also coached for Middle Atlantic Swimming, Lehigh Valley Aquatics and Freedom High School.
While at Freedom High, he developed several All-Americans, saw three school records fall and guided the team to its first points at the PIAA state meet in 15 years.
Bugby served as a graduate assistant coach at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., from 2007-09 while earning his master's degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education. While at ASU, Bugby assisted in practice planning and the sprint and stroke power circuits.
Bugby swam collegiately at Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pa., from 2002-07 while pursuing his bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and Humanities. In the pool, Bugby held down a world ranking in the 100 LCM backstroke (2003), while also qualifying for the 2004 Olympic trials in that event.
In 2007, Bugby was the Atlantic 10 champion in the 100 SCY butterfly. Later that year, he was ranked first in the 100 SCM freestyle by the U.S. Masters Swimming organization.
