Keri Buff Hometown: Madison, Wis. Position: Head Coach Experience: Six Seasons (01-PR) Alma Mater: Arizona '95

"2003 MAC Coach of the Year"
At the conclusion of the 2007-08 swimming and diving season head coach Keri Buff finished her sixth year at the helm of the Bowling Green State University squad. Since taking over the Falcons in 2002, four of Buff's swimmers have re-set six of the all-time program marks. Under her tutelage, an additional four relay teams broke the existing times with three of those speed records occurring in the 2007-08 season.

Stephanie Buckner (pictured) is one of Buff's two MAC goal medal winners.

In total, 55 of her current/former swimmers have recorded times fast enough to rank among the top ten in each event. Eight of her athletes have gone on to be named to the All-MAC squad while six have garnered Academic All-MAC honors. Additionally, Jessica Guiness, a 2005 graduate, was named to the second team Academic All-America squad as well as the BGSU Rhodes Scholarship Nominee proving Buff's student-athletes are getting it done on land and in the water.

In her six seasons in the Mid-American Conference, both Stephanie Buckner (2005) and Sarah Agnew (2004) brought home MAC gold. Buff was also named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2003.

This past season, Buff coached the Falcons to their second consecutive sixth place finish at the league's tournament. A combined five medals were earned en route to that finish; senior Michael Carriaga and junior Alisha Yee brought home two and three, respectively. Of the 14 swimmer's on the active roster, all went on to set at least one new personal best; Yee would go on to set PR's and program records at the Ohio State Invitational as well as the MAC Championships. The Falcons would finish seventh at the OSU Invite ahead of Purdue, Hawaii, Alabama, Indiana, Notre Dame and South Carolina.

In 2006-07, she and her staff led the Falcons to a sixth place finish at the MAC Championships. The team garnered one relay medal and recorded seven top ten finishes. In addition, two athletes, Caroline Keating and Yee, then a sophomore, were named first team All-MAC marking the first time that two Falcons were simultaneously named to the first team in the program's history. Furthermore, Keating was also placed on the Academic All-MAC team and would be the first Falcon to earn first team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC honors since Bethany Budde in 1997-98.

In September of 2005, Buff was selected to represent USA Swimming at the NCAA and Olympic Committee Women's Coaching Summit held in Colorado Springs, Co., at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The three-day conference hosted the top coaches and athletes associated with the Olympic and NCAA sanctioned sports.

In six seasons with the Falcons, eight of her swimmers have found a place on the All-MAC squad.

The 2005-06 season proved to be a successful one for Buff and her staff as they led the Falcons to a final ranking of No. 16 in the CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Poll. The Orange and Brown also finished fourth overall at the MAC Championships.

Buff's third season, 2004-05, was the biggest for the Falcons at that time. Not only did the Falcons medal in three events at the MAC Championships, but three school records were also broken en route to earning the hardware. Buckner's 51.15 mark broke the 100 free record that was recorded by Shari Williams in 1989 and finished with MAC gold. She was also a member of the record setting third place 200 free relay team with Schultz, Lisa Hipp, and Guinness. Additionally, Keating set the 500 free record with her 4:54.53 mark that earned the bronze. One year later, Keating rewrote the history books and broke her own mark again. In 2003, Buff led the Falcons to their best finish at the MAC Championships in 11 years with a third-place finish. Under her guidance, the Falcons continued to increase their swimming points earned at the MAC championships. As previously mentioned, Agnew also took the gold with her time of 2:18.86 in the 200 Breaststroke.

In 2002-03, her first season, Buff was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year.

Buff came to BGSU after serving as an assistant coach and women's recruiting coordinator at Arizona State University for three years. In that time, Buff helped guide an ASU women's team from 23rd to 10th at the NCAA.

Prior to joining the ASU coaching staff, Buff was an assistant men's and women's coach at the University of Wisconsin from 1995-1999. There she coached sprint and middle-distance butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. The Badger women's team improved from 30th to 14th in the NCAA during her time in Madison.

During the summer of 1999, she was named assistant coach for the U.S. National Team Distance Camp, where she coached the IM swimmers and assisted with the distance freestylers. She served as the Egyption National Team coach at the Mediterannean Games in 2001.

Buff began her coaching career at her alma mater, University of Arizona, in 1993.

She has worked with over 30 student-athletes who have achieved NCAA All-America status.

Buff earned a B.A. degree in family studies from Arizona in 1995. She is married to former Wildcat teammate, Tony Buff. The couple has two sons and a daughter.

Scotty, the eldest, is named after his grandfather Scott Seeliger, a former BGSU football coach who now holds the position of Associate Athletic Director for the Falcons. Max, was born in September of 2006 while Mia joined the family in February of 2008.