Northern State University

Kaden Huntrods enters his third season at the helm of the Northern State swim program in the fall of 2023. He is the third head swim coach in program history and joined the Wolves program after two seasons as the head coach at Iowa Lakes Community College. Northern State went 8-7 in team competition in 2022-23, recording their first winning season in program history. The Wolves posted their best NSIC Championships finish since 2017 with four individual conference titles, five all-conference performances, and a fifth place team finish. In addition, two school records and four freshman records fell in the 100 IM, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. Lilly Grebner became just the second single season 4-time NSIC Champion in program history. Lauren Forsyth added an All-Conference accolade in the 200 Fly. Grebner qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400 IM (27th), 200 IM (32nd), and 200 fly (24th) and capped off her season awards as the NSIC Freshman of the Year. Grebner clocked the second fastest 100 IM time in Division II as a true freshman. In addition, the Wolves found success academically sitting first in the NSIC and seventh in the country for team GPA. In his two seasons leading both the men’s and women’s programs at ILCC, Huntrods coached his teams to ten top-6 placings at the NJCAA National Meet. In addition, the Lakers broke two individual records and one relay record in his tenure. He opened his collegiate coaching career as a student assistant and then graduate assistant at South Dakota State University. While on the Jackrabbit staff, Huntrods assisted with the team fundraising effort, instituted an underwater stroke analysis program, and assisted with the day-to-day recruiting and program development efforts. He recruited the 2021 Summit League Champion in the men 200 IM and saw numerous school individual and relay records fall. Huntrods has coached with numerous youth clubs including the Paso Robles swim team, Madison Makos, and Mitchell Aquatic Club. He is a Level II certified coach through the American Swim Coaches Association and the United States Masters. Huntrods earned his bachelor of science in Exercise Science from Dakota State University and master of science in Sport and Recreation Administration from South Dakota State University.

Mikaela Waiflein joined the Northern State swim staff in the fall of 2019 as the Water Wolves Swim Lessons Program Director and an assistant coach. A Northern State swimming alumni, Waiflein joins the program with a wealth of experience. Waiflein holds 15 years of coaching experience with both the Aberdeen Swim Club and YMCA lesson program. Her primary duties with the Water Wolves include the day-to-day operations of the lesson program, as well as registration organization and the hiring and training of swim lesion instructors. In addition to her work with the Water Wolves, Waiflein will assist with the collegiate team’s training throughout the year. She currently works fulltime as a second grade teacher at O.M. Tiffany School in Aberdeen. Waiflein received her bachelor of science in Elementary Education and master of education in Teaching and Learning from Northern State University.