Debbie Dugan-Rezzolla
Debbie Dugan Rezzolla '79 1992 Swimming
Fortunately for the future of women's swimming at Cleveland State University, Debbie Dugan fell in love when she arrived on the CSU campus - with the sparkling Viking Natatorium.
Intercollegiate athletics for women was in its infancy when Dugan began her freshman year in 1975.
She had been an excellent student (16th in a class of 820) at Eastlake North High School, where she had played some basketball, run some track and been a cheerleader. Academics, not athletics, were foremost in her thoughts.
Probably furthest of all from those thoughts was the idea of becoming a competitive swimmer in college. She had given that up during her sophomore year at North when the problems of training at the West End YMCA in Willoughby (North had neither a pool nor a team) became too burdensome.
Then she paid a visit to the Viking pool, already recognized as one of the finest in the world after having served as the home for the marvelously successful NCAA Division I and Division II Swimming and Diving Championships the previous March.
One look was all she needed to resume her swimming career.
"I was intrigued by the pool," she says, "and thought I'd like to make a go of it again."
And what a go it was.
For the next four years she became the dominant figure in the formative years of the women's varsity swimming program at Cleveland State University.
In her freshman season, the CSU Athletic Alumni Association presented its "Most Outstanding Women's Swimmer" award for the first time. It went to Debbie Dugan. So did the second award in 1976-77, the third in 1977-78 and the fourth in 1978-79.
No other swimmer, male or female, has ever matched that feat.
And in 1977 she was also named CSU's Female Athlete-of-the-Year, the only woman swimmer ever to be so honored.
Enroute to these honors Dugan was establishing herself as one of the most versatile-if not THE most versatile-woman swimmer ever to take to the waters for the Vikings.
During her four seasons of competition she set or shared in no less than 11 school records.
The individual records came in the 50, 100 and 200-yd. breaststrokes, the 100-yd. freestyle, the 100-yd. and 200-yd. individual medleys. She shared in the 200, 400 and 800-yd. freestyle relay and the 200-yard and 400-yd. medley relay marks.
As a freshman she qualified for the AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) national championships in the 50-yd. freestyle and as part of the Viking 400-yd. medley team.
As a sophomore she finished third in the 200-yd. freestyle in the Ohio AIAW championships and took a fifth and two sevenths in other individual events as well as swimming on two relay teams which finished in the top six.
As a senior, she met the qualifying standards for every swimming event in both the AIAW state and regional championships.
She also captained or co-captained the team in each of her last three seasons.
Debbie could indeed do it all-including coach.
A year after graduation from CSU in 1979 with a BA in Comprehensive Social Studies, she returned as head coach of the women's team in 1981-82 while completing work in her master's degree in education. She coached the team to an 11-3 record, also coached the women's track team in the spring, then turned her attention to a full-time teaching career.
She has been a social studies teacher at Mentor Shore Junior High since graduating from Cleveland State and is currently head of the Social Studies Department there.
She also coaches volleyball and track and serves as advisor to the Cardinal/D.A.R.E. Club (a "say no to drugs" organization).
In 1982 she married her high school sweetheart, Mike Rezzolla, a teacher and football coach at Euclid High School. The Rezzollas make their home in Mentor.
