Bocci pays immediate dividends
CLARION — When Butler’s David Bocci decided to extend his swimming career to Clarion University, Golden Eagles coach Brehan Kelley knew exactly what she was getting.
And she couldn’t wait.
Kelley once coached with Bocci’s father — Butler High School swim coach Dave Bocci — at Duquesne University and the two have remained good friends through the years.
“I’ve known about David’s drive and skills in the pool for a long time,” Kelley said. “When he decided to join us ... I’m not at all surprised at what he’s accomplished here. The exciting part is that he wants to do so much more.”
Bocci was recently named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in swimming. He scored 61 points at the PSAC meet, more than any other Clarion swimmer.
Bocci won the 200-meter butterfly at the PSAC meet with a season-best time of 1 minute, 49 seconds. He lopped more than five seconds off his previous best time to take second in the 200 individual medley, finishing behind teammate Connor Clary, who was PSAC Freshman of the Year two seasons ago.
Finally, Bocci pulled in runner-up finishes in the 200 backstroke and with three teammates in the 400 medley relay.
His Clarion record in the 500 free is 4:30.76. He also swam a leg of the school-record setting 400 medley relay during the season.
“I feel like I can break a couple more records here,” Bocci said. “The 100 and 200 butterfly are within my reach. I hit most of my goals this season, but I didn’t make it to Division II Nationals. That was the big one.”
He came close. Bocci swam the 200 butterfly in 1:49.6. The qualifying time for nationals in that event was 1:47.9.
“Less than two seconds,” he muttered. “But I know I can get there.”
His coach knows he can do a lot more.
“The immediate thing is getting him to the national level,” Kelley said. “David is going to break more records at Clarion, that’s a given. I believe he can become an All-American. All of the tools are there.
“He’s an extremely motivated swimmer who wants to do special things. There’d be days I want him to scale back and he wants to get right back in the pool. He always wants more. A couple of days after the PSAC meet, he wanted back in the pool. He never stops working. ”
Because Kelley knows Coach Bocci so well, she’s able to keep up with — and work with — Bocci’s progress when he’s not on campus during the off-season.
“We have a highly structured off-season program that includes some swimming, some lifting,” the coach said. “Dave has coached his son all his life. He knows what he’s doing with him. I’ll keep in contact with him to find out if there’s anything I can do to supplement what Dave’s been teaching him.”
Bocci the swimmer loves the working relationship between his high school coach and college coach.
“That definitely helps me,” he said. “They’re on the same page in terms of my training. Everything is consistent.”
Bocci said he wants to get to the Division II national meet in each of the next three years, improving upon his finish there each time. He wants to do that for his team more than for himself.
“College swimming is much more of a team-based sport,” he said. “You’re swimming for the team. You’re scoring points for the team.
“I expect a lot of myself. That’s never going to change. I know I can score more points. I know I can improve on the records I’ve already broken or been a part of.”
Bocci is a sports managemernt major at Clarion and looks to get into a career in sports law. He hopes to become a sports agent at some point.
He also plans to get into coaching when his own swim career is done.
“I like to inspire and motivate people,” he said. “Coaches have done that for me. I want to pay that forward.”
