Swimming & Diving
Westfall, Rebecca
Rebecca Westfall
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Director of Women’s Recruiting
- Email:
- rwestfall@athletics.pitt.edu
- Phone:
- 412-383-9078
Former NCAA All-American swimmer Rebecca Westfall is in her third season as an assistant swimming coach at the University of Pittsburgh.
In her two seasons on head coach John Hargis’ staff, Westfall has helped develop Pitt’s youthful squad of swimmers, resulting in 29 school records being broken as Pitt’s program progresses into one that can compete for championships in the challenging Atlantic Coast Conference.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Westfall’s tutelage played a role in Pitt swimmers combining to break 19 school records. Samy Helmbacher and Blaise Vera both qualified for the NCAA Championships after making program history at the ACC Championships by placing on the podium to earn All-ACC honors.
Westfall’s first season with the Panthers in 2017-18 saw the Pitt women’s swimming & diving team break the program record with a 14-dual meet winning streak to close the regular season while also sending swimmers Lina Rathsack and Amanda Richey to the NCAA Championships.
Over the past two years, several Panthers that Westfall has coached have also excelled internationally, including French champion Samy Helmbacher, South African champion Eben Vorster, Israeli champion Shahar Menahem and Canadian Trials finalists Valerie Daigneault and John Fauteux.
A former eight-time NCAA All-American and nine-time Big 12 Conference champion swimmer at Texas A&M from 2003-2007, Westfall previously spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach for the inaugural swimming & diving program at Indiana State.
Prior to that, Westfall coached two seasons (2014-16) with UNC Asheville, helping the Bulldogs post program-best finishes in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championships in both seasons.
Westfall also coached two seasons (2012-14) at Warren Wilson College in Swannona, N.C. and served as interim head coach and aquatics director at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va., in 2011-12.
She began her full-time coaching career at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., serving as the director of swimming and aquatics for two years. During that time, Westfall established the first-ever women's program in school history and reintroduced the men's team for the first time since the 1970's.
Westfall is also a biomechanics and swimming technique specialist, having had a series of articles on kinetic energy and movement through water published on popular swimming website SwimSwam.
Going by her maiden name of Sturdy, Westfall had an incredible collegiate swimming career of her own while at Texas A&M. As a freshman in 2003-04, she won the Big 12 title in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke and anchored A&M’s first conference relay wins in the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays.
After injury-plagued sophomore and junior campaigns, her persistence paid off with a fantastic senior season in 2006-07. That year, she won the 100-yard butterfly, placed second in the 50-yard freestyle and was a member of the Aggies’ winning 200-yard freestyle, 400-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relays at the Big 12 Championships, helping Texas A&M win its first Big 12 team title.
After graduation, Westfall spent one more year in College Station, Texas, serving as a student assistant coach, working with Aggies' future Olympians from the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Estonia.
Rebecca is married to her husband, James. The couple recently welcomed a baby boy, Wade, and are the proud owners of a yellow lab, Hoss.
Beyond the Bio
Favorite place on the University of Pittsburgh campus?
The Cathedral of Learning! I love the architecture and the nationality rooms.
What is your favorite thing to do in the city of Pittsburgh?
The food! There’s so many different kinds of restaurants to explore and enjoy around the city!
What is your favorite aspect of working in Pitt’s athletic department?
The potential! There are so many pieces in place for Pitt to be a major force in college athletics. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen so much progress in the right direction!
What do you love most about working in athletics?
I love helping athletes achieve things they never thought possible. That look of astonishment after a race is incredibly fulfilling. Most of all, I love getting to teach life lessons through sport. If my athletes leave this program more kind, intelligent, confident human beings who are ready to take on the world, then my job is done.
Favorite quote?
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden
Hobbies outside of work?
Cooking and reading. I read every night before bed, even if it’s just a couple of pages. I’m also a new mom, so I live for baby giggles!
In her two seasons on head coach John Hargis’ staff, Westfall has helped develop Pitt’s youthful squad of swimmers, resulting in 29 school records being broken as Pitt’s program progresses into one that can compete for championships in the challenging Atlantic Coast Conference.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Westfall’s tutelage played a role in Pitt swimmers combining to break 19 school records. Samy Helmbacher and Blaise Vera both qualified for the NCAA Championships after making program history at the ACC Championships by placing on the podium to earn All-ACC honors.
Westfall’s first season with the Panthers in 2017-18 saw the Pitt women’s swimming & diving team break the program record with a 14-dual meet winning streak to close the regular season while also sending swimmers Lina Rathsack and Amanda Richey to the NCAA Championships.
Over the past two years, several Panthers that Westfall has coached have also excelled internationally, including French champion Samy Helmbacher, South African champion Eben Vorster, Israeli champion Shahar Menahem and Canadian Trials finalists Valerie Daigneault and John Fauteux.
A former eight-time NCAA All-American and nine-time Big 12 Conference champion swimmer at Texas A&M from 2003-2007, Westfall previously spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach for the inaugural swimming & diving program at Indiana State.
Prior to that, Westfall coached two seasons (2014-16) with UNC Asheville, helping the Bulldogs post program-best finishes in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championships in both seasons.
Westfall also coached two seasons (2012-14) at Warren Wilson College in Swannona, N.C. and served as interim head coach and aquatics director at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va., in 2011-12.
She began her full-time coaching career at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., serving as the director of swimming and aquatics for two years. During that time, Westfall established the first-ever women's program in school history and reintroduced the men's team for the first time since the 1970's.
Westfall is also a biomechanics and swimming technique specialist, having had a series of articles on kinetic energy and movement through water published on popular swimming website SwimSwam.
Going by her maiden name of Sturdy, Westfall had an incredible collegiate swimming career of her own while at Texas A&M. As a freshman in 2003-04, she won the Big 12 title in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke and anchored A&M’s first conference relay wins in the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays.
After injury-plagued sophomore and junior campaigns, her persistence paid off with a fantastic senior season in 2006-07. That year, she won the 100-yard butterfly, placed second in the 50-yard freestyle and was a member of the Aggies’ winning 200-yard freestyle, 400-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relays at the Big 12 Championships, helping Texas A&M win its first Big 12 team title.
After graduation, Westfall spent one more year in College Station, Texas, serving as a student assistant coach, working with Aggies' future Olympians from the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Estonia.
Rebecca is married to her husband, James. The couple recently welcomed a baby boy, Wade, and are the proud owners of a yellow lab, Hoss.
Beyond the Bio
Favorite place on the University of Pittsburgh campus?
The Cathedral of Learning! I love the architecture and the nationality rooms.
What is your favorite thing to do in the city of Pittsburgh?
The food! There’s so many different kinds of restaurants to explore and enjoy around the city!
What is your favorite aspect of working in Pitt’s athletic department?
The potential! There are so many pieces in place for Pitt to be a major force in college athletics. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen so much progress in the right direction!
What do you love most about working in athletics?
I love helping athletes achieve things they never thought possible. That look of astonishment after a race is incredibly fulfilling. Most of all, I love getting to teach life lessons through sport. If my athletes leave this program more kind, intelligent, confident human beings who are ready to take on the world, then my job is done.
Favorite quote?
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden
Hobbies outside of work?
Cooking and reading. I read every night before bed, even if it’s just a couple of pages. I’m also a new mom, so I live for baby giggles!
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