Swimming has become quite a competitive sport over the last couple decades, especially for Regis Jesuit and the state of Colorado. Regis Jesuit Swimming is the only sport in the school with over 10+ state championship titles. Acquiring these titles would not have been possible not only with the athleticism of the student swimmers, but also those who train and transform these future state-champion swimmers; the coaches.

Coaches who have been able to drive their swimmers through a total of more than a whole decade of achievement with state titles and one national championship title under the belt of RJ deserve recognition. Mr. Michael Doherty, currently the dean of students at Regis Jesuit, coached the swim team during their reign as the best in their league. From 1981 to 2013, Mr. Doherty took the time to turn swimmers into champions, creating an un-defeatable team throughout most of the 1990’s.

Swimming has been big in Mr. Doherty’s life since he was a teenager. Starting with a job at Benjamin Franklin Pool, he began swimming in a club in the 1970’s. When his coach was unable coach his swim team, Mr. Doherty and his best friend decided to take control of the team and lead it, starting his coaching career.

Swimming is a hard sport, and there are definitely things about swimming people don’t miss. For Mr. Doherty, he doesn’t miss waking up at four in the morning or making sure his swimmers go to bed by nine in the evening. What he does miss though, is the workouts he would make for the swimmers.

Swimming has evolved for both the Boys and Girls Division here at Regis Jesuit. since his retirement from coaching in 2013, there have been more than 19 state titles won by the Boys Swim Team, including the emergence of three Girls Swim Team State titles.

Mr. Doherty’s 32 years of coaching for the swim team has left a legacy for not only molding together some of the greatest swimmers to come out of Regis Jesuit, but also some of the greatest coaching.