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Coaching Staff
Karl a Helder
Diving Coach • 5th season
Karla Helder is in her fifth season as the
men’s and women’s diving coach at the University
at Buffalo and has helped the Bulls
produce notable accomplishments in the diving
program.
While at UB, Helder has been instrumental
in developing a strong diving program that
featured new school records for both the men’s and women’s teams. In
her previous four seasons, she has coached an ECAC men’s champion and
two All-Mid-American Conference divers and six regional qualifiers, and
just last year had two divers qualify for the NCAA meet for the first time
in school history. A two-time NCAA Division II National Diving Coach
of the Year, Helder came to Buffalo after nine seasons at the University of
California at Davis, where Helder coached four national champions to four
separate titles and 36 All-Americans. She was named PCSC Men’s Diving
Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003 and she also earned the conference’s
Women’s Diving Coach of the Year award in 2001.
Helder has earned 30 national diving titles herself. Most recently, at
the 2008 U.S. Master’s Nationals, Helder won her age group events, and
setting two new American records, breaking her own set in 2004. Helder
swept gold in a unique event called Grand Masters, which has strict qualifying
standards, and has a 15-year age range, as well. In March 2003, Helder
set a World FINA record on three-meter and captured gold in one-meter
event as well.
In addition to UC-Davis, Helder has coached at Chico State and Clemson
University. She was also the coach for the Venezuela Junior National
Team of Anzoategui in 1991. At the 2003 Junior Olympic Summer Nationals,
she coached a 10-year-old to double golds on both one and three-meters,
as well as leading her diver to two new 13-and-under records in those
events.
Helder, a former two-time NCAA National Champion on the threemeter,
is a 1982 graduate of Chico State University. In 1999, she was inducted
into that institution’s athletic Hall of Fame.
Co u r t n e y Ko s t i va l
Assistant Coach • 3rd season
No stranger to Mid-American Conference
swimming, Courtney Kostival is in her third
season as an assistant coach with the University
at Buffalo after a stellar collegiate career.
Last year, she helped the Bulls to one of their
most successful seasons, as the Bulls broke
10 women’s records and six men’s records.
Kostival spent six seasons at fellow MAC institution Ohio University,
swimming for four years and later joining the Bobcat coaching staff as
a graduate assistant for the next two years. At Ohio, Kostival worked
primarily with the distance swimmers. Kostival is one of three from the
UB coaching staff with ties to Ohio University as head coach Andy Bashor
was a graduate assistant from 1996-98 and UB assistant coach Aaron Bell
served as an Ohio graduate assistant in the 2006-07 season.
While swimming for the Bobcats, the Athens, OH native helped Ohio
win the 2001 MAC Championship, the last time that UB’s Alumni Arena
Natatorium hosted the MAC Championships. She capped off the 2001
season by being named Ohio’s Most Improved Swimmer.
Kostival swam in the 200, 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle during her
time with the Bobcats and was selected to the Academic All-MAC team
following her junior season. In her junior season, she was selected to the
Academic All-MAC team and earned Ohio’s Tad Potter Award for excellence
in leadership following both the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Kostival
ended her athletic career with championship finishes in the 500 and
1,650-yard freestyle races at the 2004 MAC Championships.
Kostival received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education
from Ohio in 2004 and her master’s degree in Coaching Education
in 2006.
Aa r o n Bell
Assistant Coach • 2nd season
Aaron Bell will start his second season as
an assistant coach with the Bulls. In his first
season at UB, Bell helped the Bulls to one of
their most successful seasons as the women
set 10 new records, and the men set six.
Prior to coming to UB, Bell spent time on
the coaching staff at Ohio University and the
University of Miami, prior to coming to Buffalo. At Ohio, Bell was an assistant
for the men’s and women’s swimming teams where he assisted
in all facets of the program and worked primarily with Ohio’s middle
distance swimmers.
Bell had a stellar career at Clarion University where he was a 20-time
NCAA Division II All-American. While with the Golden Eagles, he also was
a seven-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion and
qualified for the Senior National Championships.
“Aaron is very enthusiastic and he is a great recruiter,” said head
coach Andy Bashor, upon Bell’s hiring. “He loves to get out on the road
and watch young swimmers and he also brings experience working with
elite college swimmers. His experiences at Miami and Ohio will help this
program tremendously.”
Mi c h a e l To m e s
Graduate Assistant • 2nd season
Michael Tomes begins his second season
as the graduate assistant for the men’s and
women’s programs. Tomes worked with
Bashor and the assisstant coaches to help the
team with one of the their most successful
seasons.
Tomes, who enrolled in the exercise science
graduate program at UB, joined the Bulls in 2007 after a swimming career
at the University of Evansville and The Ohio State University. With the
Buckeyes in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, Tomes helped the squad
to a 20-3 dual meet record and two NCAA Championships appearance.
Tomes was an honorable mention Academic All-American and a Big Ten
All-Academic Team selection during the 2005-06 season, while winning
the Most Prestigious Swimmer Award for the Buckeyes. Tomes was also
a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference athlete while at Evansville.
“Michael’s biggest asset is that he is coming here from a major
conference,” said head coach Andy Bashor upon Tomes’ hiring. “I am
looking for him to bring that attitude to this program and relate it to our
swimmers. He has a great coaching mind and I also look for his graduate
work in athletic training to help out our program as well.”
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