Third from left, Dorothy 'Dot' Vilardo is shown in a 1978 photo. Also shown, from left, are Jim Fetten, Sue Dilley and Richie Regan.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — As the founder and coach of the Seton Hall University women’s swimming program, Dorothy “Dot” Vilardo was an inspirational figure to countless swimmers for the South Orange institution.
Vilardo, a South Orange resident, will be posthumously inducted into the Seton Hall University Athletics Hall of Fame.
The enshrinement will take place Saturday, Feb. 21.
In 1979, Vilardo formed the first women’s swimming and diving team at Seton Hall. Being a long-time resident of South Orange, this was the ideal location for Vilardo to pursue her lifelong passion for swimming. Vilardo began her swimming career in Newark, where she swam competitively at the Hayes Pool, the Newark Athletic Club and in the AAU at the Military Park Hotel Pool.
Later in life, Vilardo became the head swim coach at the South Orange Community Pool, as well as the pool manager and swim instructor. In the winter months, she coached indoors at the YMCA in Orange and was a swim official and starter.
At SHU, Vilardo was pioneering with training techniques. She implemented early morning practices and added weight training and nautilus to workouts. This is commonplace today, but it was groundbreaking in 1979.
Vilardo stayed at SHU until 1985. But she never really retired from swimming. She continued to be a swim official and starter-up until about 15 ago in New Jersey.
Vilardo died on Nov. 6, 2023, in Maryland, just shy of her 83rd birthday. A month later, she was among the coaches recognized at a university-event celebrating 50 years of women’s athletics.
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