Hite
unveils coaching staff
Four
assistants round out Hite's first staff at UW
MADISON, Wis. - First-year swimming and diving coach Whitney Hite has
hired four assistants to complete his coaching staff. Carrie Nixon,
Shane Whildin, Dan Schemmel and Evan Bernier have been chosen to help
Hite guide the Badger program.
"Overall, the energy of the staff is going to be terrific," Hite said.
"It's a younger staff that will be able to relate to high school and
college-aged kids."
Nixon returns for her fourth season as an assistant on the UW staff.
She has worked with the Badgers' sprinters and middle-distance swimmers
and has headed up the team's domestic women's recruiting efforts.
Prior to her time at Wisconsin, Nixon was the head coach of the women's
swimming and diving team at her alma mater, Notre Dame, from 2005-08.
"It's invaluable to have someone that has been a head coach to be a
part of your staff," Hite said. "She's a great recruiter and does a
great job with the women and the men. She's incredibly important to
have on our staff and has done it all, not just as an athlete, but also
as a head coach. She loves Madison, loves the University of Wisconsin
and is really happy here."
Whildin joins UW after spending the previous six seasons as Stanford's
assistant women's coach. During his tenure, the Cardinal have never
finished lower than fifth at the national championships. The 2009-10
team was the national runner-up, finishing a mere 2.5 points behind
Florida after a third place national finish in 2008.
"The energy that he brings and his experience working with elite
athletes is going to be vital," Hite said. "We're really excited about
what he can bring. He's super organized, is a great recruiter and has a
great amount of energy."
Two of the greatest swimmers in Stanford swimming, Olympic medalists
Julia Smit and Elaine Breeden, were coached by Whildin. Both Academic
All-Americans as well, Smit and Breeden won multiple NCAA individual
titles as well as the team's first Pac-10 title since 2001, in 2010.
A 2003 graduate of Missouri with a degree in communications and
business, Whildin was a four-year member of the men's swimming and
diving team, serving as a team captain in his junior season and twice
receiving the Missouri Team Leadership Award. Whildin's best 100
butterfly time ranked among the school's top-five at the time he
recorded the mark. He was also a two-time qualifier for the Olympic
Trials.
Whildin and his wife, Jenny, welcomed their first child in the summer
of 2009.
Schemmel comes to the Badgers after spending last season with his alma
mater, Michigan State. Prior to that, he was a three-year volunteer
assistant at the University of Arizona.
"Dan is really a student of the sport," Hite said. "He loves swimming
and is a great recruiter. He really enjoys that aspect of scouring the
times and finding the kids. Dan's going to be a great addition."
While with the Wildcats, Schemmel had the opportunity to work with 28
All-Americans, 12 Olympians from seven different countries and eight
American record holders. In 2009 with his aide, UA saw the women post a
third-place finish and the men place sixth at the NCAA Championships.
In 2010, Arizona's men's team finished third, while the women ended the
championships in fourth.
Schemmel graduated from Michigan State in 2008 with a bachelor's degree
in psychology. He received his master's degree in educational
psychology from the Arizona in 2010.
The former Spartan swimmer first arrived at MSU in 2004 when he served
as a team manager for the swimming and diving team during his freshman
year. His sophomore and junior seasons saw him compete in the freestyle
events at several competitions. His senior year saw him serve as a
student assistant coach.
Bernier spent one season as an assistant coach at Seattle University
before accepting a position on Hite's staff. At the 2011 Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation championships, 14 school records were broken
as the men's team took third place and the women finished eighth.
Collegiately, Bernier spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota
before transferring to the University of Washington. While with the
Huskies, Bernier was voted Pac-10 swimmer of the month in his junior
year while Hite served as a head coach. During his senior year, Bernier
was the captain of the swimming team. While at Washington, Bernier
broke 11 different school records and led the team to a 16th place
finish at the NCCAs, the school's best finish in over 30 years.
"Evan is one of the best collegiate swimmers I've ever seen," Hite
said. "He's relatively new to the coaching aspect, but he's like a
sponge and he wants to learn. It helps that he already understands what
it takes to be an elite athlete."
After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Bernier
volunteered as a coach with Washington until the program was cut.
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