ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Catherine University athletics director, Eric Stacey, announced current swimming and diving assistant coaches,
Dan Eckberg and
Nicole Hempler have been named interim co-head coaches for the 2023-24 season. Eckberg came to St. Catherine prior to the 2020-21 season while Hempler has been with the Wildcat athletic department for 23 years and serves as an assistant athletic director in addition to her coaching responsibilities.
"We are in a very fortunate position to have two assistant coaches on staff with extensive coaching experience, and who have both successfully led MIAC programs in the past", said Stacey. "I am confident that Dan and Nicole will mesh well and deliver a great experience for our student-athletes".
Eckberg and Hempler take over the Wildcat swimming and diving program that won the past three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships and were nationally ranked in the top 25 throughout the 2022-23 season.
In his time at St. Catherine, Eckberg has played a vital role in the program's success through recruiting and working with the Wildcat sprinters. Prior to his arrival in St. Paul, Eckberg was the head swimming and diving coach for the College of Saint Benedict Bennies from 2013 to 2020. In his six seasons, he registered 14 program records while earning seven MIAC All-Conference honors. His athletes placed 84 performances on the program's top-10 list and his teams were named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-America each semester. In the 2013-14 season, Eckberg led the Bennies to a fourth-place finish in the MIAC Championships with a scoring total of 368 points, which was their highest finish under his leadership. Before his tenure at Saint Benedict, Eckberg served as the boys' and girls' head swimming and diving coach at Saint Cloud Technical High School in St. Cloud. Eckberg received his undergraduate and master's degrees from St. Cloud State University and is a sales representative at SPS Commerce in Minneapolis.
Eckberg mentioned, " I am grateful for the opportunity to assist in the leadership of the Wildcat program. I look forward to continuing this journey with Coach Hempler and Coach van Oosterom and can't wait to get the season started."
Hempler returns to the helm with Eckberg having held the role of Associate Head Coach since stepping down as head coach following the 2011 season to take on additional responsibilities within the athletic department administration. Hempler currently oversees the department's budgets, athletic facilities, and scheduling while also serving on numerous university committees on top of maintaining her coaching duties for the program. Hempler came to St. Catherine after completing her bachelor's degree in education from Concordia College where she was also a student assistant coach. Hempler had a stop at Red Wing High School as the girls' head coach winning the state title in 2001 while also serving as the boys' head coach and leading them to a second-place team finish that same year. The two-time MIAC Coach of the Year's coaching background includes an emphasis on distance events where she guided now Hall of Fame swimmer Steffanie Jurusik '13 to a successful swimming career in the MIAC. Each season since her arrival at St. Catherine, the Wildcat teams have improved in the conference, regional, and national standings as a reflection of her leadership and dedication to the program.
Hempler noted, " I am excited for the opportunity to return to a larger role within the program and continue building the success the program has seen in recent years. But I am mostly looking forward to working with our amazing student-athletes along with coach Eckberg and coach van Ooosterom."
The 2023-24 season is scheduled to begin Friday, October 13 with the Wildcats hosting a double dual with Concordia St. Paul and University of Mary at Butler Center in St. Paul.
