Dan Schemmel has been named the head coach of the University of Hawai'i swimming and diving program, athletics director David Matlin announced Monday. Schemmel is the seventh head coach of the UH program since the men's and women's teams combined in 1987.
Schemmel comes to Hawai'i from the University of Wisconsin, where he spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach. He replaces Victor Wales, who resigned as Hawai'i's head coach after the 2015-16 season.
"I was impressed with the pool of candidates that we had and Dan stood out among them all," Matlin said. "Our swimming and diving program is a source of pride for our community and we look forward to Dan's leadership, taking us to new heights both academically and athletically."
At Wisconsin, Schemmel helped guide both the men's and women's teams to success on the conference and national levels. The Wisconsin men's team finished 18th at the NCAA Championships in 2016, led by Big Ten Swimmer of the Year Matt Hutchins. It was the second top-20 national finish for the program during Schemmel's tenure in Madison.
Both Wisconsin's men's and women's programs spent the entire 2014-15 season ranked in the top 25 nationally. The women's team took home a total of seven Big Ten titles, and eight swimmers earned NCAA All-America or Honorable Mention All-America honors. Meanwhile, the men's team claimed six NCAA All-America or Honorable Mention All-America nods, and rewrote nine school records.
"I'm immensely honored and grateful to be joining the Hawai'i family," Schemmel said. "I want to express my sincerest gratitude to David Matlin and the rest of the staff for their trust in me to lead this program. The Hawaiian culture and beauty is unlike any other in the world and makes for an incredible opportunity. I am very appreciative of the people who helped me throughout this process for without them, this wouldn't have been possible. I'm beyond excited to start working with the student-athletes and to call Hawai'i home. Go 'Bows!"
Prior to joining Wisconsin's staff in 2011-12, Schemmel spent one year with his alma mater Michigan State. Before that he spent three seasons at the University of Arizona as a volunteer assistant, where he worked with 28 All-Americans and 12 Olympians.
Schemmel attended MSU where he spent time as a student-athlete, student manager, and student assistant coach with the swim program. He earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State in 2008, and received his master's from Arizona in 2010.