blank

Paige Francis

Assistant Coach: First Year

A six-time Trojan All-American and a member of USC's first women's swimming and diving national championship team, Paige Francis is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Trojans and second on the USC staff. Francis served as a graduate assistant coach in 2005.

Prior to being hired at USC, Francis trained with the Irvine Novaquatics from 2002-04 while working part-time, but she retired from the sport prior to the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

She lived in Austin before that, working in public affairs and training with the University of Texas women's team from 2001-02.

A four-year swimmer at USC from 1997-2000, Francis graduated from USC with a degree in communications with a minor in business.

As a senior in 2000, Francis competed in seven events at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors in the 400m medley relay. At the 2000 Pac-10 Championships, she was seventh in the 100y back (55.43) and 10th in the 200y back (1:59.51).

As a junior in 1999, Francis was a two-time All-American, anchoring USC's fifth-place 400y medley relay and swimming second on Troy's eighth-place 200y free relay. She also swam on the 400y and 800y free relays. Individually, Francis was 28th in the 200y back (2:00.70) and 34th in the 200y free (1:49.89). At the 1999 Pac-10 Championships, Francis finalled in the 200y free, taking eighth in 1:49.04. She represented the United States at the 1999 FINA Short Course World Championships in Hong Kong and had a strong meet, posting a pair of sixth-place finishes in the 100m (1:01.27) and 200m back (2:10.19). Francis reached the finals of the 200m back (2:14.36, scm) at the 1998 FINA World Cup, finishing seventh. She was a 1999 Pac-10 All-Academic second team selection with a 3.17 GPA in communications.

As a 1998 sophomore, Francis competed in five events at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by an 18th in the 200y free. She also swam on USC's 200y, 400y and 800y free relays. Francis was a consolation finalist at the 1998 U.S. Summer Nationals in the 100m back (1:03.51) and competed in the 100m and 200m free and the 200m back.

Francis was a three-time All-American as a 1997 freshman, helping lead USC to its first-ever national championship. She swam on USC's fourth-place 200y medley and 800y free relays and on the seventh-place 400y free relay at the NCAAs. Individually at the NCAAs, she took 11th in the 200y back (1:59.31), 27th in the 100y back (56.26) and 28th in the 200y free (1:49.87). At the 1997 Pac-10 Championships, Francis took fifth in the 200y back (1:59.49), sixth in the 200y free (1:49.65) and 10th in the 200y IM (2:03.65). At the 1997 World University Games, Francis was third in the 100m back (1:03.89).

Francis was a prep All-American in the 100y and 200y free and 100y back at Arcadia High in Scottsdale, Ariz., and competed for Phoenix Swim Club. She was a four-time Arizona state champion in the 100y back and a three-time champion in the 200y free.