ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Catherine University athletics director, Eric Stacey, announced Thursday that Jordyn Wentzel will take over as head coach of the Wildcat swimming and diving program. Wentzel currently serves as the Wildcats' assistant coach after a successful tenure as the program's most decorated alumnae.
"I am thrilled to announce Coach Wentzel will be leading our swimming and diving team into a bright future," Stacey said. "When looking at everything we wanted in a leader of this very successful program, it became obvious that Jordyn was the right choice for the position. She brings a strong competitive drive, a commitment to the student-athlete experience, and a passion for the team and St. Kate's that will serve her and our department well moving forward."
In Wentzel's time at St. Kate's, she was a four-time MIAC Swimmer of the Year and a three-time McCahill Athlete of the Year. She wrapped up her career at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in March of 2023 adding five All-America honors for a total of 26 in her five years with the program. Most impressively, Wentzel became the first-ever NCAA National Champion in March of 2022 after resetting the Division III record in the 200-yard breaststroke three times. She holds countless MIAC individual and relay records while also holding 13 current program records. Wentzel also won every individual event she competed in during the regular season and at the MIAC Championships while at St. Kate's.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to take over as the head coach of the program", commented Wentzel. "It was a pleasure to work with Dan, Nicole, and Shannon this past year and I'm happy they are coming back as well. I also wanted to thank Eric Stacey for being so supportive of our program and for giving me this opportunity. I'm so proud of how well the team did this season and I'm excited to put my own spin on things to build on what the program has become over the past several years."
Since joining the coaching staff at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Wildcats have 92 career best swims while also finishing as the runner-up at the 2024 MIAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships this past weekend. At the championships, Wentzel helped the team to six top finishes with junior Emma Svendsen following Wentzel's lead earning MIAC Swimmer of the Year honors.
With Wentzel taking the lead, Nicole Hempler and Dan Eckberg will transition back to their previous coaching roles with the team and Shannon van Oosterom will be staying on staff as well.
Stacey followed with, "I also want to express my sincere gratitude to both Dan Eckberg and Nicole Hempler who served as interim co-head coaches this season. Their leadership and commitment were instrumental in the team's success. I am very pleased that they will both be staying on with the team. This program is lucky to have so many good people committed to its success, and I can't thank them enough for their work."