SCSU Remembers Tim Quill

"My favorite memory of TQ actually goes back to when I was still in high school. I had been on several recruiting trips to different colleges, but it wasn’t until I met with TQ and CJ that my whole perspective changed. At other schools, coaches told me I wasn’t good enough or that I wouldn’t be a scoring athlete for their team. But when I met with TQ, he told me, “Yeah, you’re good, Leirey — but swimming for Southern, you’ll be even better.”

He helped young athletes understand that college swimming isn’t a place to plateau or rely on your high school times to score points. It’s a place to challenge yourself, to work harder than you ever have before, and to succeed at a level you’ve never reached in the water. #builtnotbought

I went on to challenge myself physically and mentally more than ever before, all while making unforgettable memories and growing in confidence and courage. I owe it all to the legend himself." - Erin Leirey

"During my junior year in 2024, I was an NCAA swimmer. I traveled to Ohio with Tim and CJ and another teammate and had an amazing experience. October of my senior year, I had to walk in the office and tell the big bad wolf that I was pregnant. I was more scared to tell Tim than my mom.  You can only imagine all the laughs, cries, yells, and hugs that occurred during that conversation. 

My words to him when I looked at him were “I can’t swim this year.” The best thing Tim did for me was make me finish out my season and that is something that I will never regret. I may not have been an NCAA swimmer anymore, but I could say I’m a true Southern Swim alumni finishing out my four years. It was an amazing experience knowing Tim. I can’t wait to share my memories of him with my little boy and I’m so happy that Tim got to meet him. He showed me so much love and support that I will hold onto forever." - Hailey Nyquist

"I had the privilege of swimming for Tim from 2016 to 2020. Throughout those four years, he gave countless inspirational speeches, but one moment has always stood out to me. At the NE-10 Conference Championship during my freshman year, the competition between us and Assumption was neck and neck the entire meet. When it finally ended, the score was so close that it had to be manually recounted several times to ensure accuracy. We waited for hours, anxious and hopeful, knowing it could go either way.
After what felt like an eternity, Tim stood in the stands overlooking our team. He didn’t say a word — he simply nodded. In that quiet gesture, we knew. We had done it. We were NE-10 Champions. That single nod meant everything. It reflected the early mornings, the demanding practices, and the relentless dedication we had poured into the season. In that moment, all of our hard work paid off, and we celebrated together as champions." - Emily Waehler

"I first met Tim when I walked into his office during my freshman orientation.  I asked him if I can walk on. We talked about my swim times, and he told about the commitment and challenges swimming in college would bring. 

After walking on the team, he told me before I left he had four years to turn me into an athlete.

Coach you never gave up on me and you believed in me when I didn't. It gave me life long friends, that I can count on like family. I will never forget all you did for me.

Thank you." - Chris Fracker

“Coach Tim took the time to mentor other coaches. We had discussions that informed my own coaching outlook, and I reflect on those talks regularly. He challenged me to define success and to pursue that in everything. He was honest, open, and eager to share. Coach Tim was one of the best to ever walk the pool deck. I’m forever grateful that our coaching paths crossed.” -Steve Mazurek, Head Coach West Chester University Swimming & Diving

“I have Tim to thank for helping me reach my full potential during my athletic career at Southern. My years on the swim team and all the wonderful people I met through it will stick with me forever and I have him to thank for that as well. His life lessons still shape my everyday and I will continue to embody them now more than ever. My heart is with the Quill family and all my friends enduring this loss. #SwimforTim” - Ella Marzec

"I swam at SCSU from 2006 to 2010. When I arrived my freshman year, I was not the standout. I wasn’t the Lane 1 All-American. I was the swimmer who occasionally cracked the top 16. The swimmer who redshirted her first NE10 meet. The swimmer just trying to keep up.

But that never mattered to Tim.

He never treated me as anything less than essential. While he was training NCAA qualifiers, he was just as invested in the kid in the outside lane chasing personal bests. My first year was full of highs and lows; feeling part of something extraordinary, yet quietly wrestling with imposter syndrome. My closest friends were chasing NCAA cuts. I was chasing seconds off my own time.

And still, from the very first practice to the last day of spring training, Tim saw me.

He saw the drive. The grit. The love for the sport that dragged me out of bed at 5 a.m. day after day. He pushed me harder than I had ever been pushed in my life. That year I worked harder than I ever had before at anything. And the results were everything you’d hope they would be.

But I almost walked away.

Sophomore year loomed, and I was tired. The early mornings. The 20 hour a week commitment that felt like a full-time job. I told myself I’d make it through spring training and then decide what I was going to do.

At the end of season awards ceremony, Tim stood in front of us to present the Coach’s Award. He described an athlete who came from a small high school program. Someone who trusted SCSU to launch them forward. Someone who might show up in the back of the pack, but who had the heart of a top-eight swimmer.

And then he said my name.

I remember sitting there, stunned. Mouth open. Hearing him describe a version of me I had never fully seen myself. In that moment, I realized something profound: Tim believed in me in a way that changed how I believed in myself.

I knew then, I wasn’t done.

During my 4 years I swam my heart out for TQ and the team. I swam personal bests, I swam as a rostered athlete, and I swam through mono where heard him shout, for the one and only time in my life, “SLOW DOWN, TRUAX.”

By 2010 I broke through a five-year plateau in the 200 free. And in the final race of my career, the 1650 free, I made the top 8 for the first time ever.

The look on Tim’s face that day was the same look he gave our All-Americans.

Because to him, that was my All-American moment.

Tim was the rare kind of coach who understood that 16th place and 1st place both matter. That swimming, despite what people say about it being an “individual” sport, is anything but. Especially at SCSU. In his program, every lane mattered. Every swimmer mattered. Every role mattered.

He built something bigger than medals and podiums. He built belief. He built belonging.

And for so many of us, he built the version of ourselves we didn’t yet know we could become.

Thank you, Tim. For seeing me. For pushing me. For never giving up on me." - Alex Hagist (Truax)

"Tim always believed in you more than you could believe in yourself. Thank you will never seem enough." - Katherine Crochet

"I have so many wonderful memories of and because of Tim Quill. The times he used ”tough love” to get his point across, when he pulled me aside after a big dual meet, and said “I asked you to step up today, and you did, and we won because you did” and the times he would yell across the pool at practice to stop aiming for his swimmers! 

Two memories stick out in particular, the first is when, in the middle of one of his “pep talk” about pushing yourself, his cell phone rang, he opened it up and said “I can’t talk, I’m in a meeting” and slammed his phone shut. 

The second was after arriving in North Dakota for Nationals he picked us up in the rental van and he got pulled over for driving too fast for conditions.

I will forever be grateful for the opportunity he gave me to be a Diver at Southern; for his toughness when I needed it; his encouragement when I needed it; and for his unwavering support of not only me, but every student athlete that walked onto the deck… even when we had our shoes on!

Tim Quill’s legacy will live on in the those who trained and competed under him, and will continue on to future generations of Owls, just like Hutch has for so many. Rest in Peace, Coach." - Kimberly Grant

"I had the good fortune of swimming for Tim early on in his coaching career, and even then, you could tell he was special. He deeply cared for his swimmers and had a unique ability to push you beyond limits you didn’t think were possible. He demanded excellence, but he also believed in you—sometimes more than you believed in yourself.
 

When I graduated from SCSU, and the head coaching position opened up, I remember calling him and telling him he needed to apply. There was something special about SCSU, and I knew he was the right person to carry that forward. Others reached out to him as well, and thankfully, he took that leap of faith.
 

What followed was nothing short of a dynasty. More importantly, it was a culture built on belief, accountability, toughness, and genuine care for the people in the program. His impact went far beyond wins and championships—he shaped lives.
 

He will be missed dearly. Truly one of the best." - Eric Burns

"Tim meant more to me than just a coach. He truly helped shape who I am. Swimming was such a huge part of my life, and so much of what made it meaningful came from his influence. He taught us discipline and resilience, and showed us that nothing worth achieving comes without hard work. He pushed us when we felt like we had nothing left, and he believed in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves.

One of my favorite things about Tim was his motivational speeches, which could last anywhere from a minute to an hour. If we were lucky, they came in the morning and bought us a little more time before jumping into the freezing cold pool. So many of us walked onto the pool deck sore and exhausted, fingers crossed, hoping it would be a speech day.

There were also plenty of times we’d yell “Speeeeeech?!” stretching out the e’s, hoping he’d come out of his office and give us one before practice started. Sometimes he would. Other times he’d just yell back, “800 on the top!” and we knew we were out of luck.

Tim was also always there for you off the pool deck. You could walk into his office and vent about anything going on in life, and he would always listen, give advice, or laugh with you when you needed it most. He cared about us as people first, not just as swimmers.

Spending nearly five hours a day with him for four years created memories and lessons that have stayed with me long after my swimming career ended. He wasn’t just our coach. He was a mentor and, for many of us, another father figure. I will always be grateful for the impact he had on my life.

I hope you have unlimited Americanos up there. Rest easy, Tim. You were, and always will be, so special to all of us." - Loren Wurst

“I was one of Tim’s swimmers at SCSU and graduated in 2020. I can’t even describe how grateful I am for Tim and for the opportunity he gave me to swim for SCSU.  He was not only a great coach, but a great leader, mentor, and teacher. My sophomore year, I suffered with mental health issues, and Tim was there for me. He allowed me to heal, and was very supportive to my return. He taught me how to work hard, and I am forever grateful for him.” Hannah Balzano (Morse)

"I’ll always remember that time when my mom came home from the end of year banquet, as my brother was a sophomore, and I recently made a decision to transfer from ECSU to SCSU. She said ‘I told Tim you were transferring to SCSU. He asked me if you want to come swim for him’. 

Immediately I said “no, not really” - at that point I hadn’t been in a pool in almost 18 months, I had gained a considerable amount of weight and thought there is truly no way that I could handle swimming D2 for him. Of course, if you know Tim, you know that he doesn’t take no for an answer. So, naturally next thing I knew I was in the car at 5 a.m. heading to a SoNoCo practice at Southern to sit down to tell him ‘no’ in person. Wouldn’t you know - after 10 minutes of talking to him, I was committed and swimming for SCSU in the fall of 2014.

Thank god Tim saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. His guidance, his no B.S. attitude, his your excuses don’t matter mentality has continued to shape me into the person I am today. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I had to not only swim for TQ but to know him. Because of his opportunity I have made best friends that will last a lifetime and I have memories I will cherish for just as long.

Rest in peace, Tim" - Jessica Demirs

“I interviewed Tim many times for the Southern News and he was always full of great quotes, stories and information breaking down the meets and his student-athletes. It was always a joy to be in his office and he always went out of his way to make time for the student media.” - Matt Gad

"I did not have what you would call a normal lead up to college swimming. I was living in the Dominican Republic and had never heard of SCSU. By chance, at the PanAmerican Games that took place in the DR, I reconnected with Ben Michaelson. 

I had been part of CT Swimming prior to moving to the DR. This was how SCSU got on my radar, and I came on a recruiting trip in the dead of winter right before the big championship meet (METROS back then). 

After just one weekend with them, the team felt like family and I was ready to commit (maybe not sold on the weather). This was my first clue as to the type of coach Tim was. He took a chance on me as an international swimmer that he only saw swim once during the recruiting process. Unfortunately it was not my best performance, and I was forever reminded by Tim about not taking underwater pullouts in the 400 IM at World Championships (I was sick). Even so, he and the staff worked hard to get me to SCSU. 

I joined in the middle of training trip and had to red-shirt that year. I still remember the feeling of putting the Southern cap on for the first time (back when it was the Superman 'S') and then the responsibility of getting behind the blocks wearing that cap for the first time. I was pretty nervous and it didn't help that Tim decided to come right up to me behind the block before my first college race ever (400 IM) and tell me that I needed to win this race. 

I have so many memories from my time on the team. From snowball fights on I-95 when we were stuck in traffic during a blizzard to being part of the largest SCSU team to go to NCAAs. The early mornings, the hard workouts, the underwaters I hated, racing tired most of the season, and Tim's test sets are not what first come to mind or what I miss. It is the daily interactions with the staff and my teammates, the exciting races I watched, the team cheers, the training trips, the breakfasts at Conn Hall, sledding in our parkas, and supporting each other day in and day out. 

Tim was at the forefront of most of these memories. He was able to bring out the best in us every season. He gave us the lessons we carry forward now in our lives: how to handle pressure, how to advocate for yourself, how to support others, how to keep going with things get hard, how to expect and believe the best of yourself, and how to succeed. He did it all with care, humor, and attitude that was uniquely TQ. Everyone that swam at Southern during his career carries a version of this story and memories of Tim. His legacy will never end. It lives on in every one of us." - Maria Zenoni

"Tim was the best coach I ever had in my 16 years of swimming. I had always known who he was from my siblings’ swimming and from seeing him at USA Swimming meets, sitting in his office running the timing system. Growing up, I was at Southern so often for club meets that it felt like I was already part of the team.

When it came time for college recruitment, Southern was at the top of my list, not only for the education, but because Tim was the coach. The moment I stepped onto the pool deck, I knew it was home. Watching Tim lead the team and build a winning culture made it clear this was where I belonged. He was an old-school coach: demanding, but always respectful.

I have countless stories from my four years at Southern, but one stands out. Sophomore year, I woke up with pink eye and went to Tim’s office. He looked at me and yelled, “TEST SET.” I said, “Tim, I have pink eye.” He responded, “Get ready to swim, and keep your goggles on.” Later in that test set, I swam the fifth-fastest time on the team.

After that day, I felt a new level of respect between us. He knew I wouldn’t quit, and I knew he expected everything I had, from sunup to sundown.

My junior year didn’t end the way I wanted. After prelims in the 200 breast, he saw I was upset. He pulled me over, wrapped his arm around my head, and said, I remember it like it was yesterday “You work your ass off day in and day out for this shit, it’s not fair. Don’t be upset. You are the heart and soul of this team, and you’ll come to practice tomorrow and win.”

His motto still stays with me today: “Don’t say try, say I will.” I carry that into every part of my life. Be the difference maker. Be the 10-percenter. Be the person people recognize as someone who works hard and competes like a champion.

When Tim named me captain my senior year, I knew I couldn’t let him down.

Tim was the heart and soul of Southern, SOCO, CT Swimming, and, most importantly, an incredible person. I miss him, and I know he’s watching over all of us. The attached picture is my best friend Bryce (co captain) and Tim and I at our first alumni meet in 2021.

Thank you, TQ, for everything." - Dominic Papiro

"I am who I am and have the life I live mainly in part because of this man. 
He took a chance on me my freshman year with one condition. I complete 4 years with the program. When I walked in at the end of year one and said I couldn’t continue because I had to get a job, he gave me one. My work ethic, resilience, determination and much more were all learned while competing and working for Tim. Tim was the type of coach that reached beyond the athlete. He supported the sport, the academics and the emotional aspects of an athlete. He set us up for life, not just an NE-10 title. In the process, he created a family out of his athletes. This is a huge loss to the swimming world. 
You’ll be missed coach" - Jaclyn Theleen