Supervisor of Swimming & Diving OperationsInducted into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2023, Renie has been a staff member for the Boilermakers for 27 years. With the retirement of longtime men's head coach Dan Ross in June 2023, Renie became the longest tenured staffer at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center.
Renie, formerly Darlene Warta, was an outstanding swimmer and student-athlete at Purdue from 1986 to 1990. A two-time team captain, she became Purdue's first female swimmer to be selected as a full-fledged All-American after she placed fifth in the 200-yard butterfly at the 1989 NCAA Championships. In 1990, Renie earned All-America honors again in the 200 butterfly and honorable-mention recognition as a member of the 400 medley relay team. She also captured two Big Ten titles by winning the conference's 200 butterfly race in 1988 and 1990.
She left Purdue as the school-record holder in the 200 butterfly. Her personal-best clocking of 1:59.27 still ranks her as the ninth fastest in program history.
Renie returned to Purdue as an assistant coach in 1997. As the main recruiter for the women's program, she was responsible for all aspects of both on- and off-campus recruiting. She remains an asset to all members of Purdue swimming & diving as a consistent presence and helpful staff member at the pool. She maintains an open door policy to help student-athletes in any way she can.
Renie used her expertise, personal example and excellent recruiting skills to help take Purdue from the lower half of the Big Ten Conference to placing among the top-six teams eight out of nine years, including a program-best-tying fourth-place finish in 2010 that earned head coach John Klinge the conference's Coach of the Year award. She was hired as an assistant by Cathy Wright-Eger and remained on staff as Klinge took over in the spring of 2008.
Nine NCAA Championships qualifiers and five new relay records established at the Big Ten Championships highlighted the 2010-11 season. The nine NCAA qualifiers -- seven swimmers and two divers -- matched a program record established in 2010. Lisa Butler, Kara Cook, Emily Fogle, Lauren Gustafson, Caitlin Hamilton, Ariel Martin, Erin Mertz, Lauren Nichols and Allie Smith represented the Boilers at the national championship meet in Austin, Texas.
Joining divers Erin Mertz and Kara Cook as Honorable Mention All-Americans were Hamilton (1,650 free) as well as the 400 and 800 relay teams. Butler, Martin and Gustafson swam on both scoring relays along with Smith (400) and Fogle (800).
Purdue set new records in all five relay events at the Big Ten Championships. Individually, new program records were established in seven events at the Big Ten Championships. Martin (100 & 200 free), Cook (platform diving), Fogle (200 breast), Hamilton (500 free), Mertz (3-meter diving) and Smith (100 back) all set a new benchmark in Purdue history. Fogle's time in the 100 breast was also a freshman record.
Freshman Caitlin Hamilton took down Purdue records in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle events multiple times each throughout her first collegiate season (2009-10). She won silver in the mile at the Big Ten Championships in a time of 16:02.61 that obliterated the previous record of 16:26.31, which had stood since 1998. She then went on to finish eighth at the NCAA Championships in 16:02.01 to earn All-America status.
The Boilermakers also had All-American swims from Allie Smith in the 100 backstroke and three relays at the 2010 NCAA Championships, which were held in West Lafayette. The 16th-place finish stands as the best in program history, and the nine different All-Americans, as well as the five different scoring events, also rank as program highs.
Renie's recruits proved to be among the best in Purdue history. The program's all-time list of top times was completely rewritten in her 14 seasons as an assistant coach.
Renie coached two Big Ten champions and guided 18 different student-athletes to either All-America or honorable-mention All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Renie's most consistent performers at the national meet were Lisa Dolansky, Patricia Finnerty and Lindsay Lange, each of whom qualified for three straight meets from 2001 to 2003.
Together on both medley relays and the 200 freestyle relay, these three competitors combined for 15 honorable-mention All-America citations. Kim Paradeise shared in their relay success in 2002 and 2003, earning four honorable-mention All-America certificates on her own. Gyongyver Lakos was part of the 400 medley relay team that also placed among the top 16 at the national championship meet in 2001.
Lakos and Theekshana Ratnasekera also went on to represent their countries at the 2000 Olympics held in Sydney, Australia. Lakos competed for her home country of Hungary, and Ratnasekera was part of Sri Lanka's delegation to the Games.
Renie was a Senior Nationals consolation champion, a Junior Nationals qualifier, a four-time NCAA qualifier and the first woman in Purdue history to score individually at the NCAA Championships. She was named Purdue's Outstanding Senior Athlete by Mortar Board and the John Purdue Club's Chicago Athlete of the Year her senior year. By the time she finished her illustrious career, she held school records in the 100 and 200 butterfly, 800 freestyle and 400 medley relays.
A native of Chicago, Renie and her husband, Jeff, live in Lafayette. Jeff, also a Purdue swimming alumnus, was a member of the 1986-87 Boilermaker squad under Ross. The couple has one daughter, Jessica, and two sons, Jake and Joshua.
Men's Swimming Assistant Coach
James Bretscher
James Bretscher joined Purdue men's swimming & diving as an assistant coach in June 2023, becoming the first hire of Alex Jerden's tenure as the leader of the Boilermakers.
Bretscher’s surname is already a familiar one at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center. The All-American joined Purdue after two seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall University and two seasons on deck at his alma mater, NC State. Bretscher coached the Thundering Herd at the 2022 Purdue Invitational.
Bretscher’s sister Emily was an All-American diver and Big Ten champion for the Boilermakers from 2017 to 2022. She was the Big Ten Diver of the Year and Diver of the Championships in 2020, representing Purdue at the NCAA Championships three times. The Bretscher Family has longstanding ties to Northwest Indiana and the city of Valparaiso, connections that extend throughout the state and Big Ten.
A two-time NCAA Championships qualifier and 2019 All-American in the 100 butterfly at NC State, Bretscher remained with the Wolfpack and served in a supporting role – one year as a student assistant and another as an assistant coach for Wolfpack Elite – before being hired at Marshall in May 2021. Between his time as a student-athlete and a coach, NC State won seven ACC Championships and 13 NCAA titles.
“The entire staff connected with James almost immediately through his interview process,” Jerden said. “Even more importantly, he connected with the team in such a short amount of time. For us, James is a home run hire – someone who embodies the Boilermaker spirit, who values the person behind the athlete, and who knows the sport really well and loves to learn. He will be a tremendous addition to the team. We can't wait to have him on campus!”
In his two years as an assistant in Huntington, the Herd accounted for 56 times that ranked among the top 10 in program history.
“I am excited to hop on the train and join the Boilermakers,” Bretscher said. “It is a full-circle moment to have the opportunity to coach at my sister's alma mater. Alex Jerden has an incredible vision for this program and is passionate about building something special with these young men. I am thankful to be a part of it and look forward to seeing where this journey takes us. Boiler Up!!!”
Bretscher also served as the head coach for Thundering Herd Aquatics, lead age group coach with the Raleigh Swimming Association and was on staff with the college ministry, Athletes in Action.
Bretscher finished his career ranked among the top five in NC State history in both butterfly events, qualifying for the A finals at the ACC Championships in each of his upperclassman seasons. He qualified for NCAAs in the 200 fly as a junior and both races the following year. He was a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree. As a senior team captain, he received the “Heart of the Pack” and “Diamond Award,” recognizing his commitment to teammates, effort, attitude, mindfulness as well as leadership, team commitment and work ethic.
Bretscher earned his bachelor’s degree from NC State in business administration with a concentration in marketing and minor in graphic communications.
Along with sister Emily’s recent accomplishments at Purdue, Bretscher’s other notable extended family connections includes…
