WILMINGTON, N.C. - UNC Wilmington head swimming and diving coach Dave Allen has announced the addition of Suzanne Yee to his coaching staff for the 2009-10 season.

"I am thrilled to start my first season as part of the Seahawk swimming family," said Yee. "I look forward to coaching the men and women who will continue to make their mark on the Colonial Athletic Association. I would like to thank Coach Allen, Assistant Coach Todd DeSorbo and Deputy Director of Athletics Pat Howey for granting me the great opportunity to coach at UNCW!"

Yee comes to the program after serving as an assistant coach on the staffs at Washington State and California.

"We're pleased to have Suzanne join the program," said Allen. "She brings a great deal of experience and expertise which will benefit our program. We're excited to have her."

Yee spent eight seasons as an assistant at Washington State where she was instrumental in the success of the program. The Cougars produced six NCAA participants and saw 13 individual and 13 relay record fall during her tenure. WSU posted its highest finish at the NCAA championships in 2007 with a 34th-place finish in 2007.

"Suzanne Yee is an outstanding coach who will add a tremendous amount to the program at UNCW," said Washington State head coach Erica Quam. "She has the knowledge and experience to help her student-athletes excel both in and out of the pool. Suzanne is constantly thinking about ways to improve. She puts these ideas into action by challenging her athletes and herself to rise to another level."

Her first stop on the collegiate coaching trail was at her alma mater California. Yee swam for the Bears once season before shoulder injuries curtailed her career in 1995. While in Berkley, she helped assist Cal to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA championships in 1999-00. While with the program, she assisted in many aspects of running the program from on-deck coaching to day-to-day operations.

In June of 2004, Yee was one of 24 graduates of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in Wilmington, N.C. and in July of 2005, she graduated from the first-ever NCAA Women's Coaches Academy Dimension 2 program in Denver, Colo. The program gives female coaches the opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of coaching, management issues, principles of marketing, networking, media skills and other issues involved in women's athletics such as Title IX and the legal issues of coaching.

A 1997 graduate of California in history, Yee went on to earn her master's degree from California in education in 2000 and wrote her thesis on the subject of collegiate recruiting.

The Seahawks open their season on Oct. 17 when they visit Duke.