ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Catherine University swimming and diving head coach, Justin Zook has announced his resignation after leading the Wildcats for seven seasons to pursue opportunities outside of coaching.
"The last several days have been filled with mixed emotions as after seven years at St. Kate's I have decided to take a step away from the pool deck for the time being. Altogether, I have dedicated the last 30 years of my life to the sport of swimming as both an athlete and coach. Reflecting on my time at St. Kate's has brought back plenty of memories filled with laughter, smiles, and tears. I know the timing is never going to be perfect for decisions like this to occur, but I am beyond confident the current group of student-athletes will continue to strive towards excellence together under new leadership."
Zook leaves the program as a four-time MIAC Coach of the Year having won three consecutive MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships from 2020-2023. During his tenure, the Wildcats earned a magnitude of ALL-MIAC honors, 73 All-America honors, while resetting 21 of 22 program records and securing the university's first-ever NCAA National Champion in March of 2022. Under Zook's leadership, the Wildcats hold 32 MIAC meet and all-time records and have been recognized both on the national and local stage.
Outside of the pool, Zook's student-athletes were continuously recognized with academic honors including being named the top team GPA among all Division III men's and women's programs in 2021. In January of 2023, Macy Klein '22, was also named a Top 9 Finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year and earned Academic All-America honors.
"I want to thank the athletic administration, specifically Athletic Director, Eric Stacey, for providing me the opportunity to lead the Wildcat program for the last seven years and continuously challenging me to be a better person and coach. Coaching at the collegiate level was a dream of mine and I am happy the dream came true as part of the St. Kate's athletic department. I will always cherish the time spent in purple and gold, as all the student-athletes and coworkers made this a fantastic place to start my collegiate coaching career. To those former and current Wildcats over the history of St. Kate's, thank you for helping make this opportunity possible and providing such an amazing place for our student-athletes to call home. I look forward to cheering on all the student-athletes at St. Kate's in the future!"
"There aren't enough superlatives to encapsulate all that Justin has meant to St. Kate's Swimming and Diving over the last seven years, said Stacey. "The list of accomplishments both in the pool and in the classroom speak for themselves. The positive impact he has had on the program will leave a lasting legacy that we can build on moving forward. I want to personally thank Justin for his hard work and dedication and I wish him the best as he pursues other opportunities."
"A big thank you to my coaching staff during my time at St. Kate's", said Zook. "Nicole Hempler, Dan Eckberg, and Shannon van Oosterom have provided guidance and support throughout each twist and turn and none of this would have been possible without you making yourselves available and investing countless time and hours away from other areas of life to give back to all of the Wildcat student-athletes."
Zook leaves the program having spent countless hours developing some of the most decorated swimming and diving student-athletes to compete within the MIAC. In his time, the Wildcats have won 43 events at the conference championships as well as recent graduate Jordyn Wentzel '23 who was the MIAC Swimmer of the Year in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. Wentzel set multiple NCAA and MIAC records to go along with the program records she reestablished and graduated as the most decorated female swimmer to compete in the MIAC.
An announcement including the future leadership and coaching structure for the program will be released in the upcoming weeks.