"Coach Curylo brings a unique perspective to the role, especially with her strong emphasis on academics. Her background as a former teacher really shows—she genuinely cares about players succeeding in the classroom and supports them in choosing majors that align with long-term goals, not just athletic ones. That’s something we really appreciated. That said, when it came to softball itself, there were definitely challenges. There seemed to be some inconsistency in how players were treated—some days felt relaxed and productive, while others felt like everyone was walking on eggshells. Injuries weren’t always fully understood or handled with the sensitivity you’d hope for in a high-level program. One of the more difficult dynamics was how assistant coaches were often criticized or undermined in front of the team. It made it hard for the group to buy into the staff as a united front. When a new coach joined—someone with national championships both as a player and coach—she wasn’t fully utilized. Despite having a wealth of experience, she was mostly limited to working with pitchers, and players had to seek her out privately for advice on the game as a whole to avoid tension. Overall, not the worst coaching experience out there, but there is definitely room for growth—especially in terms of communication, staff management, and consistency. The academic support was a huge plus, but to be a successful head coach, staying level-headed and building trust across the whole team and staff is just as important."

"Tried to recruit me out of the portal. Was not a fun conversation. Said they don't give money away unless you are sure you are going to commit. "

"Overall a coach that shouldn't be leading a team at the Division I level. Practices are not consistent with specific training for athletes. Very few swimmers were able to progress under him. Very awkward, and unable to communicate well with his team and hold swimmers and coaches accountable. Great assistant coaching staff but seems like they have no say."

"A coach that cares about his swimmers but who’s training style lacks individuality. Seems we trained for open water swimming rather than specific races that we’ve specialized in. Believes yards+aerobic ability = success but yards swimming is far past that training style. Sets are mentally draining and the sets made the training environment negative. "

"Not good at communication, often not paying attention during practices, “garbage yardage”, not motivating at meets, overall disorganized. You can tell he does care about his athletes and their success but does not show it well. Training is very generic and not very individualized, felt like I didn’t see as much improvement as I should’ve. "

"Extremely old school coach. He is extremely intense, which has potential to create some results. However, if you do not have a thick skin, he is not the coach for you. He has also been known to lead players on in the recruiting process. "