Rowan University Swimming Clinics

ELISE FISHER

Head Coach, Women’s Swimming

Elise Fisher was named Rowan’s head coach for women’s swimming and diving prior to the 2019-20 season, after serving as an assistant coach with both the men’s and women’s programs for six years. In her head coaching debut, she guided the Profs to the 2020 Metropolitan and NJAC Championships.

In 2020, Fisher was named the Coach of the Year for both the NJAC and the Metropolitan Championships as she led the Profs to their fourth straight NJAC crown and their third consecutive Mets title. She also saw Corinne Finkbinder earn Mets Diver of the Meet honors and Jordan McChesney be named the Mets Rookie of the Meet, while both student-athletes earned the respective NJAC awards as well. Abigail Brous became Fisher’s first Prof to earn All-America honors as she qualified for the NCAA Championships in the season shortened by COVID-19.

As an assistant with both the men’s and women’s programs working with head coaches Brad Bowser and Tony Lisa, Fisher was instrumental in helping both teams capture three consecutive NJAC titles and two Metropolitan Championships. Among the highlights of that six-year period was Kevin Gillooly earning All-American honors with his sixth-place finish in the 100 freestyle at the 2018-19 NCAA Championships, while as a team, the Profs placed 17th at the 2018 NCAA meet and took ninth in 2016-17. On the women’s side, Carlee Timmins received All-America Honorable Mention in the 1650 freestyle at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

Fisher, the former Elise Blaschke, swam at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and was a five-time America East Conference finalist. At the time of her graduation, she held four UMBC all-time Top 10 performances in the 100 and 200 backstroke as well as the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley. She earned All-Conference honors in 2012-13 and was a two-time selection to the America East Honor Roll.

During her collegiate career at UMBC, she coached the Retriever Aquatic Club in Catonsville, MD, before joining Rowan’s staff in 2013.

A native of Washington Township, NJ, Fisher earned her bachelor’s degree from UMBC in 2013 and completed her master’s degree from Rowan in 2018.

BRAD BOWSER

Head Coach, Men’s Swimming

Brad Bowser completed his sixth season as the head coach of Rowan’s men’s swimming and diving team in 2019-20, while he served as the head coach for both the Profs’ men’s and women’s programs in the previous five years. During this time, he has led the two programs to a total of six team Metropolitan Championships and six NJAC titles.

In 2020, Bowser guided Rowan’s men’s team to its fourth consecutive NJAC championship and its third Metropolitan title in four years while being named the NJAC Men’s Coach of the Year for the third time. Despite the cancellation of the NCAA Championships due to COVID-19, the Profs’ NCAA qualifiers Kevin Gillooly, Kevin Grubb, Chad Shire and the 200 and 400 medley relay teams were named All-Americans. Additionally, Gillooly and Shire were chosen the top swimmer and diver, respectively, in both the NJAC and the Mets.

His 2019 men’s and women’s squads each captured their third straight NJAC titles, while the women’s team also claimed its second consecutive Mets Championship. The Profs were represented on the All-America teams by Gillooly (two events) and Carlee Timmins, as well as two men’s relays. Gillooly and Shire earned the NJAC’s top swimmer and diver awards, respectively, with Kevin Yangagisawa being named the league’s Rookie of the Year. On the women’s side, Timmins was chosen the NJAC Swimmer of the Year while Bowser earned the conference’s Coach of the Year award for the second time.

In 2017-18, Bowser earned NJAC Coach of the Year honors in both men’s and women’s swimming for the second year in a row while the teams each captured conference and Metropolitan titles. The Profs’ men’s team also recorded a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Championships with John Tepper earning All-American honors in the 1,650 freestyle and diver Sean Piacente and three relays earning All-America Honorable Mention. The Profs swept the NJAC’s top awards as Tepper (Swimmer), Piacente (Diver) and Gillooly (Rookie) took home top honors while Veronicz Alferez was the women’s Rookie of the Year.

Bowser guided the men’s team to a ninth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships along with the NJAC and Metropolitan titles. Jesse Novak claimed his third national championship in the 100 freestyle, and took second in the 50-meter event, while also being named the NJAC Swimmer of the Year. In addition to Novak, the Profs had All-Americans in diver John Morris (two events) and the 400 freestyle relay while Mike Simunek (two events) and three relays garnered All-America honorable mention. The 2016-17 women’s squad also won its first NJAC title since 1998-99 and Bailey Howarth was the league’s Rookie of the Year.

The 2015-16 season saw the men’s team finish 11th at the NCAA Championships while also taking home the Mets title, with Bowser garnering his first NJAC Coach of the Year Award. All-American recognition went to Novak in two events and the 200 freestyle relay, with three relay teams earning All-American honorable mention. Miranda Coughlan was selected the NJAC Women’s Rookie of the Year, starting a three-year streak of the Profs having the league’s top newcomer.

Bowser took over for legendary coach Tony Lisa in 2014-15 and guided the men’s team to a 10-1 record and a second-place finish at the Mets. Among the highlights was Novak, a sophomore, winning the national titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the NCAA Championships in Shenandaoh, TX, and Morris being named the top diver in the NJAC and at the Metropolitan Championships.

Bowser spent over 15 years coaching high school and youth swimmers and came to Rowan after three years as an assistant head coach at the Machine Aquatics Swim Club and head site coach at Audrey Moore Recreation and Tyson’s Sport & Health in Virginia. He oversaw the development of age group to national team swimmers, mentored 10 national team and multiple sectional team members, and guided numerous 14U Junior Olympic winners and qualifiers.

From 2001 to 2011, he was the assistant head coach for the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mount Laurel, NJ, where he assisted in the development of high school-aged swimmers. Bowser coached five Middle Atlantic Junior Olympics champions, four Star Invitational champions, seven Olympic Trial qualifiers, nine 18U Summer US National qualifiers and 36 National Collegiate Scouting Association (NSCA) Junior National qualifiers. He also helped lead four teams to top 10 finishes at the NSCA Junior National Championships.

Bowser, an American Swimming Coaches Association-certified Level III Coach, served as a Middle Atlantic board member from 2005-2011 with tenures as Age Group Coaches Representative, Technical Planning Chair and Senior Swimming Chair.

A two-time All-American at Shawnee High School, Bowser starred at North Carolina State University where he was a nine-time Atlantic Coast Conference finalist and two-time US national qualifier, while reaching the 2000 US Olympic Trials. The 2001 graduate of N.C. State earned his bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management with a concentration in sports administration.

A native of Medford, NJ, Bowser and his wife Courtney live in Philadelphia.