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Jonas Persson joins the University of Utah swimming and diving coaching staff for his first season in 2011-12. Jonas Persson joins the University of Utah swimming and diving coaching staff for his first season in 2011-12.
Persson has competed against the highest levels of international swimming, including the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where he was a member of the fifth-place 4x100 free relay and finished 11th in the 4x100 medley relay. Persson was a part of the European champion 4x100 free relay in 2008 and the bronze medalist squad in 2010. He also was a finalist at the 2005 World Championships in the 1x400 free relay He remains a Swedish record-holder and the No. 2 sprint freestyler in the history of Sweden. He has won more than 10 National Championships in Sweden.
"Not only does he have international experience, but he's also been an NCAA All-American," Winslow said. "Jonas has experienced the Pac-12 after starting his collegiate career at the University of Arizona. He transferred to the University of Tennessee, which is in the second-best conference in the country, the SEC."
During his collegiate career, Persson set seven school records at Tennessee where he was an All-American and team captain for the Volunteers. In the classroom, Persson obtained a Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Sports Studies and a Bachelor of Business Administration from UT and also served as a graduate assistant on the staff of 2011 SEC Coach of the Year, John Trembley. He was an Academic All-American and SEC Academic Honor Roll selection in 2007 and 2008. As a graduate assistant from 2009-2011, and head coach from May-July 2011, Persson worked primarily with the sprint group. Persson helped expand Tennessee's international recruiting network by communicating with athletes, coaches and parents in 16 different countries.
Persson has already put his education into practice as he has conducted contract negotiations with the Swedish Olympic Committee and a top-five swim team in Sweden
