June 15, 2006

College Park, Md. - The University of Maryland swimming and diving team announced the hire of a new assistant coach, Demarae Christianson. She will join Kevin Clements on the staff of second-year head coach Dave Durden.

Demarae Christianson is coming off a year as an assistant coach at Auburn University, where she helped lead the Tigers to their fourth NCAA title.

A 2004 graduate of Auburn, Christianson was a part of three of those championship teams as the Tigers won three straight from 2002-2004. A 15-time All-American, Christianson won gold in the 100 fly at the 2003 World University Games in Korea. For the 2005 World University Games in Turkey, she was named the team's captain. There, she won gold in the 4x100 medley relay and bronze in the 100 fly. In 2004, she placed third in the Olympic trials.

A native of Gillette, Wy., Christianson says that she is "excited to be at Maryland working with Coach Durden."

In addition, the Terps announced that Jarod Schroeder, a former standout swimmer at Northern Illinois University, will be joining the staff in August. Schroeder, who most recently has served as an assistant coach at the perennial top-25 program at Northwestern University, is completing his duties as the head coach at New Trier Swim Club in Illinois.

"I'm really excited to become a part of Maryland Swimming and Diving," said Schroeder. "It will be fun to work with Dave and bring Maryland to national prominence."

A native of Morrison, Ill., Schroeder and his wife, Liz, were married in August of 2005.

"The additions of Jarod and Demerae to our staff solidifies where we can take this program," said Durden. "Jarod brings a wealth of experience from building New Trier into one of the powers in Illinois swimming. As an athlete, Demerae helped create an environment during her career that took the Auburn women's team from fifth in the nation to winning three consecutive National Championships. Both Jarod and Demerae know how to develop and create a championship level environment, and that is exactly where we are looking to take our program."