Griffore comes to University Park after serving as the head coach of the swimming and diving program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
[quote]We are delighted to have David on our staff here at Penn State,[quote] head coach John Hargis said. [quote]He brings great experience to the team. It[apos]s always beneficial to have a former Division I head coach on board.[quote]
At Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Griffore coached 13 Horizon League Champions, eight senior national qualifiers and one 2008 Olympic Trials qualifier.
Griffore, a 1996 graduate of the University of New Mexico, received his bachelor[apos]s degree in criminology with a minor in psychology. He went on to receive his master[apos]s degree in human resources and organizational development from Eastern Michigan University in 2005.
Before coaching Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Griffore was an associate head coach at Eastern Michigan. He coached 85 Mid-American Conference champions and presided over five consecutive men[apos]s MAC championships. Griffore helped coach the first MAC Championship in women[apos]s swimming for Eastern Michigan and his women[apos]s team achieved the highest GPA for all Division I swimming programs.
Upon completing his undergraduate education, Griffore became an assistant swim coach at New Mexico during the 1996-97 season. Griffore coordinated practice schedules and workouts, contracted recruits and collaborated with other coaches and athletic administration to ensure the success of the athletic program.
While at New Mexico, Griffore was also the head swim coach and director at Four Hills Country Club in Albuquerque, N.M. He oversaw the 80-member swim team, ran a highly competitive age group program, managed the operations of the facility and hired and trained all staff members.
Griffore then relocated to Ft. Knox, Ky. where he took a head swim coach position at Ft. Knox High School from October 1997-March 1998.
In 1998, Griffore was named head coach and assistant aquatics director at the Oshkosh (Wisc.) YMCA. He continued to oversee, coordinate and run swim team practices. He coached 17 national qualifiers, six state champions, set 20 new team records and coached back-to-back conference championships.