Coach Musch continues to do at UCSC what he has
done everywhere he has coached, give swimmers the opportunity to
get faster. During his first eleven years the Slug Swim Team
has produced over 100 All-American selections, Two National
Champions, Olympic Trial Qualifier, Maccabien Games Gold Medalist,
five PCSC Conference swimmers of the meet, four UCSC Athletes
of the Year, and four NCAA National swimmers of the week. In
addition Coach Musch has been honored twice as a UCSC Coach of the
Year, PCSC Conference coach of the year, and a recipient of the
American Swim Coaches Association “Certificate of Excellence
for Outstanding Coaching” twelve times.
Musch spent his collegiate career at the
University of California, Berkeley from 1973-1977. In his senior
year, he was elected Team Captain. During his years as a swimmer at
Cal, he watched Nort Thorton take a low scoring team at the
Division I NCAA meet to the top five at his senior year meet (Cal
then went on to win the NCAA's in 1979 and 1980 ). After coaching
stints with Santa Cruz Aquatics and Chabot College in Hayward,
Musch returned to Cal in 1981 as an assistant to Coach Thorton.
That same year he formed the Golden Bear Swim Club. Well over a
dozen Golden Bear swimmers went on to compete in the Olympic Games
for various countries during his time as Head Coach. Several World
records, US Open records, National records and Age-Group National
Champions came out of the Golden Bear Swim Team during his tenure.
Being able to convince coaching greats Nort Thornton, Karen
Thornton, and Peter Tragitt, to join the coaching staff, the Golden
Bear Swim Club was a regular top five finisher at both the indoor
and outdoor US National Championships. Top five at the US Junior
Nationals, and top three at the Far Western Age Group
Championshiops. After leaving Cal, Musch worked several years at
the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville. Although the Blackhawk Swim
Team was a small team of only 40 year-round swimmers, they went on
to have Individual Junior National Event Champions, Senior National
finalists, an Olympic Trial Qualifier, High School All-Americans,
and numerous National top 16 age groups award winners.