of Olympic medallists. Also in the Beijing games César Cielo Filho became the first Auburn swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in the 50m Free Style event. History Auburn's swimming and diving program got off to a modest start in 1932. Swimming in the basement of the Alumni Gym (which no longer exists on campus) the Tigers swam in a small pool which only had room for three lanes. Swimmers were timed and results were telegraphed to other schools for comparisons. The first real competitions were held in 1936, with ten swimmers competing. The Tigers first swam in the SEC Championships in 1940 and placed 5th. With the outbreak of World War II, Auburn stopped all intercollegiate sports and swimming was not reinstated after the war due to inadequate facilities. The team was reinstated in 1947, and reentered the SEC Championships in 1948. Throughout the 1950s and 60's, the program garnered little attention as it was mostly coached by volunteers and swimmers consisted of the fastest members of the university's mandatory swim classes. A new university swim team was formed in the fall of 1970, and two major changes helped transition the program into the modern era of collegiate swimming. A competition pool was constructed adjacent to Memorial Coliseum (renamed to Beard-Eaves Coliseum in 1993) through the support of university president Harry M. Philpott. In addition to a new pool, the university hired Bill Washington as the program's first official head coach. In 1973, Washington moved into a teaching role and the athletics department hired Eddie Reese to take over. The swim program experienced a rapid rise to national prominence under the leadership of Reese. Auburn finished 3rd in the SEC and 17th in the NCAA meet in 1974, the highest finish in school history at that time. The Tigers climbed up to second in the NCAA's by 1978, in which Auburn captured the first individual NCAA champion in school history when Scott Spann Sr. won the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. Following the 1978 season, Reese left the Auburn program to take over as the coach at the University of Texas. After his departure, Auburn hired Iowa State men's swimming coach Richard Quick to be Reese's successor. Auburn experienced continued success under Quick as the men finished in sixth at the 1979 NCAA championships and fifth in 1980 and 1981. In 1982, women's swimming became an official