Maviael Sampaio is in his eighth year as the head coach of the Fighting Sioux.
In his tenure as head coach, Sampaio has produced 27 national champions, more than half of the school’s individual national title total.
Last season, Sampaio led UND to its 12th North Central Conference team championships (seven men’s and five women’s) since he became head coach. He also led the UND men’s team to a fifth-place national finish and the women’s team to a second-place national finish while coaching Sioux swimmers to four national titles in 2007 and two in 2008.
In his first season, Sampaio earned NCAA Men’s Coach of the Year honors, guiding the men to a second-place finish, just 22 points behind Cal State Bakersfield, which won its third consecutive title. The 22-point margin was the closest margin of victory since 1983. Under Sampaio’s tutelage, Rodrigo Cintra also became the first Fighting Sioux individual champion, winning the 1650 freestyle in an NCAA-record time of 15:07.80.
Since then, his athletes have accumulated six national records. These records are held by Rodrigo Cintra (1650 freestyle), Janice Berry (200 breaststroke) and Rodrigo Ferreira (100 backstroke). UND men’s swimmers also hold records in the 200 Free Relay, the 200 Medley Relay, and 400 Medley Relay, all of which were broken at the 2007 NCAA Divison II National Championship.
Sampaio first learned of the swimming program at UND while serving as a coach for the Brazilian National Team in the Pan-American games in 1999. After spending two weeks at UND and having aspired to obtain a master’s degree in the United States, Sampaio contacted UND and began work as an assistant coach in the 2000-01 season.
Prior to coaching at UND, Sampaio spent three years as head coach of the Flamengo Swim Team in Rio de Janeiro, the winningest team in Brazil. During his tenure there, he coached some of the best Brazilian swimmers and led his squad to back-to-back national championships and eight South American records.
Sampaio also coached the Brazilian National Team and served as coach of the national team at the World Cup (1998, 1999, 2000), World Championships (1999, 2000), Pan-American Games (1999) and South American Championships (1998, 2000).
Sampaio’s career as a swimmer spanned 19 years and was highlighted by first-place finishes at the 1982 and 1984 South American Championships, a fifth-place finish at the 1983 Pan American games and 10th-place finish at the 1983 World University Games. All were in breaststroke events.
Sampaio, a native of Rio de Janeiro, received his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1986 from Tupa Physical Education University in Sao Paul, Brazil. Sampaio also received his master’s degree in kinesiology from UND in July 2007.
Sampaio and his wife, Ana, have two daughters, Manuela and Mariana.
