COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With California Aquatics continuing to stand at the forefront of international swimming after an incredible run in Rio and at the 2016 World Short Course Championships, one Golden Bear will be front and center again this summer with the announcement that Cal head coach David Durden has been named as the men's head coach for Team USA at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The appointment as Team USA's head coach is the second for Durden, who led the American squad at the 2015 World Championships in Russia. He is currently in his 10th season as Cal's head men's coach and has led the Bears to three NCAA titles and seven-straight top-two finishes. Former Cal men's assistant Greg Meehan will serve as the women's team coach for the group heading to Budapest.

"Any time you're asked to be the head coach of a World Championships for USA Swimming it's a tremendous honor and responsibility," Durden said in a USA Swimming release. "I'm really excited to reconnect and work again with Greg Meehan on the women's side, and hopefully between Greg and myself and the staff, we'll put together a good showing out in Hungary. I think we will have a mixture of veterans and newcomers to the team that will make USA Swimming proud."
 
Having spent the summer as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Rio Olympics, Durden and Cal's training group enjoyed a 2016 to remember. On a national level, the Cal contingent began to pick up momentum at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha with five members of Durden's training group – Nathan Adrian, Ryan Murphy, Jacob Pebley, Josh Prenot and Tom Shields – qualifying to compete for their country in Brazil.

As a result of that collective performance, Durden was named an assistant coach for Team USA. Cal associate head coach Yuri Suguiyama also traveled to Rio to assist the American squad and it was hard to miss the impact that California Aquatics had on the United States' medal count.

Murphy won gold in both backstroke events and helped Team USA claim gold in the 400-meter medley relay by setting a world record in the 100 back with his leadoff leg. Adrian collected four medals, two gold and two bronze, Shields won a relay gold and Prenot earned silver in the 200 breaststroke as the group from Berkeley accounted for nine medals on its own.

"Just looking at numbers, I don't think there's a more deserving guy for the job," Prenot said. "The incredible improvement his athletes have shown speaks to how good he is at developing a team. I think he's going to be very successful in this role."

Recognition for California Aquatics' success also continued at the end of 2016. Durden was named national coach of the year by the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) and received the same award from USA Swimming at the annual Golden Goggles celebration in New York. Suguiyama was also recognized for his efforts, earning selection as the men's head coach for Team USA at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Windsor, Canada. The United States walked away with a combined total of 30 medals between the men and the women and Shields was a prime contributor, bringing home seven medals himself.
 
"Dave and Greg are two of the brightest coaching minds in the United States. They guided their athletes to incredible success in Rio and played a key role in Team USA winning 33 Olympic medals last summer," said USA National Team director Frank Busch. "With their commitment to the team concept, I'm confident they will do a tremendous job leading the United States to continued excellence this summer in Budapest."