The Jeff Hegle Story

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Jeff Hegle embarcks upon his 11th season on the deck as the head swimming and diving coach for the men’s and women’s programs at St. Cloud State University in 2011-12.

In his ten seasons with SCSU Hegle has led the Huskies to numerous NCAA Division II Championship meets, consistently finishing among the best in the country. 

St. Cloud State University wrapped up action at the 2011 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships on Saturday, March 12, with the men's team finishing 17th in the country (79 points) and the women's squad placing 25th with 27 tallies.

"I’m very happy with the way our men’s and women’s teams competed at the NCAA Championships," said SCSU’s tenth-year head coach Jeff Hegle. "We swam better than we did last year at nationals and I’m thrilled that we ended a great 2010-11 season on a positive note."

St. Cloud State sent two swimmers and five divers to the NCAA’s on March 9-12. Junior All-American Kirsten Koetter (Melrose) returned to the NCAA’s, swimming in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly. Sophomore Shalon Rothstein (Albany) headed to nationals competing in the 200 IM, 100 breast and 200 breast to help Koetter represent the women’s swimmers. Junior Allison Tracy (Minot, N.D.) and senior Cassi Mrozek (Inver Grove Heights) represented the women’s divers. All three of St. Cloud State’s male divers in sophomore Chris White (Rochester), sophomore Luke Weber (Mankato) and first year Malachi Bennet (Casper, Wyo.) qualified for nationals as well.

SCSU charted six All-American and six All-American Honorable Mention trophies at the 2011 NCAA's.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Luke Weber, 1-Meter, 5th place, 497.80 points – All-American
Chris White, 1-Meter, 6th place, 493.35 points – All-American
Malachi Bennett, 1-Meter, 8th place, 469.35 points – All-American
Kirsten Koetter, 50 Free, 17th place, :23.62 – (Missed All-American HM honors by one tenth of a second)
Shalon Rothstein, 200 IM, 50th place, 2:13.75

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Kirsten Koetter, 100 fly, 9th place, :55.97 – All-American HM (New School Record Time)
Allison Tracy, 1-Meter, 11th place, 389.10 points – All-American HM
Cassi Mrozek, 1-Meter, 16th place, 377.95 points – All-American HM

Friday, March 11, 2011
Shalon Rothstein, 100 Breast, 14th place, 1:05.12 – All-American HM
Luke Weber, 1-Meter, 3rd place, 485.60 points – All-American
Chris White, 1-Meter, 6th place, 474.20 points – All-American
Malachi Bennett, 1-Meter, 7th place, 463.95 points – All-American

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Shalon Rothstein, 200 Breast, 13th place, 2:21.52 – All-American HM
Kirsten Koetter, 100 Free, 13th place, :51.36 – All-American HM
Cassi Mrozek, 3-Meter, 17th place, 357.65 points (Missed All-American HM honors by five one-hundredths of a point)
Allison Tracy, 3-Meter, 20th place, 351.95 points

2011 MIDWESTERN COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Head Coach Jeff Hegle was named both the Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year by his peers for the third straight season after the Huskies dominant performance in Omaha on Feb. 16-19. St. Cloud State defended both the men’s and women’s team championships at the Midwestern Championships after winning the event in 2010 for the first time in school history. 

The Huskies swept the event with scores of 1263.5 (women) and 784 (men) in this season’s competition at the UNO HYPER Swimming Pool in Omaha, Neb. The Huskies tabbed 18 wins at the 2011 Midwestern Collegiate Championships, 14 of which were individual top finishes.

Hegle also helped coach four St. Cloud State individuals to prestigious conference awards. Those individuals included Jasmine Lee, who garnered Female Rookie of the Year honors, Bob Simson tabbed the Male Rookie of the Year accolades, St. Cloud State’s Ryan Goggans gained the Top Male Newcomer of the Year nod and sophomore diver Luke Weber tallied the Male Diver of the Year status.

The 2009-10 St. Cloud State University men’s and women’s swimming and diving squads completed the season with six All-American honors. The women placed 13th at the 2010 NCAA Division II Championships, while the men finished in 19th place under the helm of ninth-year head coach Jeff Hegle.

St. Cloud State also broke three school records in 2009-10. Sophomore distance swimmer Kelsey Noah (Charles City, Iowa) inked her name in the record books. The Charles City, Iowa, native now holds records at SCSU in the 500 free (5:08.03) and the 1650 free (17:45.48). Noah broke both marks on Dec. 5, 2009 at the UW-River Falls Invite. The third Husky record to be broken in 2009-10 was the women’s 200 fly. Dayna Nellis, a first year distance swimmer from Green Bay, Wis., touched the wall in 2:07.50 on Feb. 20, 2010, at the Midwestern Collegiate Championships in Omaha, Neb.

Another highlight of the season was the fact that the Huskies broke nine pool records throughout the course of the 2009-10 stint.

Last but not least, the Huskies had a standout week at the 2010 Midwestern Collegiate Championships held in Omaha, Neb., from Feb. 17-20. The St. Cloud State University men’s and women’s swimming and diving squads made history, sweeping the 2010 Midwestern Collegiate Championships with scores of 1219.5 (women) and 720 (men) on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the UNO HYPER Swimming Pool for the first time in school history. The Huskies also tabbed 19 total wins over the course of the four days and brought home four individual awards. St. Cloud State’s head coach Jeff Hegle was named the Male Swimming Coach of the Year, diving coach Tracy Torgerson was named both the Men’s and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year, rookie diver Luke Weber was named the Male Diver of the Year and Cassi Mrozek garnered the Female Diver of the Year accolades.

For his efforts in 2008-09, Coach Hegle was named the 2009 Northern Sun Women's Coach of the Year and the Men's Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to a clean sweep of the men's and women's Northern Sun Championships for the first time in school history in 2009.

Coach Hegle, along with then first year diving coach Tracy Torgerson, helped coach SCSU's senior diver Nate Jimerson to his third national title in 2009. The 2009 NCAA Division II Male Diver of the Year garnered the national championship at the NCAA’s on the one-meter in 2009. Jimerson’s national championship marked just the eighth national championship in St. Cloud State swimming and diving history. The season before in 2007-08, Jimerson tabbed national championships on both the one and three-meter boards, along with the 2008 National Diver of the Year accolades. He leaves St. Cloud State as an eight-time All-American, four-time conference Diver of the Year, two-time National Diver of the Year and three-time National Champion.

The Huskies sent a school record 20 athletes to the NCAA Championships in 2008-09, and had one of their best showings as a result. The SCSU women finished in the top-10 for just the second time in school history, placing eighth, and were 12 spots better than the previous season's (2007-08) 20th place finish. Their 158 total points rank second best in school history, settling behind the 2000 team that finished fifth with 259 points. The Husky men had their best showing this decade, finishing in 14th with 102.5 points. The 14th place tally is tied with the 1999 team for the second best finish in school history, behind only the ninth place 1981 team. However, the 102.5 points is the highest total in team history, breaking the record of 98 set by the 2007-08 15th place team.

Coach Hegle, along with former diving coach Nate Brisley, helped coach SCSU's junior diver Nate Jimerson to national titles in both the one-meter and three-meter boards in 2008. Jimerson tallied a 520.75 score on the one-meter and two nights later completed the Championship sweep with a 546.15 on the three-meter. Jimerson's three-meter score was only 10 points shy of the national meet record of 556.40 set in 1994. To add to his list of accolades, Jimerson was also named the 2008 NCAA Division II Male Diver of the Year at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship Meet.

In the final North Central Conference Championship meet in 2008, the Husky men gave their best effort, but met up with a very strong North Dakota team that was able to hold off the Huskies and claim the NCC Title. The SCSU men finished in second place for the second year in a row behind UND. The SCSU women's also posted the same finish as the season before when they took fourth in the team competition.

Coach Hegle also led three Husky individuals to NCC Championships in 2007-08, and for the second year in a row, Nate Jimerson was named the NCC Diver of the Year. Academically, the Huskies posted a league best 23 student-athletes on the NCC Commissioners Academic Honor Roll.

During the 2006-07 season the women’s team finished 19th at the championship meet while the men fell just outside the top twenty at 21st.  The best finish for the Husky women came in 2004 when they finished 11th at the NCAA meet.  Coach Hegle also guided them to 12th place finishes in 2005 and 2006 as well as a 13th place finish in 2003 and a 16th in 2002.  The men had their best finish in 2006 when they finished 19th, and also recorded 21st place finishes at both the 2004 and 2005 NCAA’s.

Seven seasons ago at the North Central Conference Championship meet (2004-05) the SCSU men finished in second place for the second straight season, while the women finished in fourth place after finishing third in 2006.  The University of North Dakota swept the meet taking home top honors for both the men and the women.

Hegle is a familiar name to SCSU athletics, as he was a graduate assistant coach to the swimming and diving program for two seasons (1993-95) and is a former Husky swimmer. Hegle captained the SCSU men’s swimming and diving team during the 1991-92 season. He received an undergraduate degree in social studies and secondary education in 1993. He earned a master’s degree in special education at SCSU.

At St. Cloud State, Hegle was an Admissions Ambassador for three years and a University Award of Excellence in Leadership nominee.

From 1997 until his appointment at SCSU, Hegle had been the girls' swim coach at Monticello High School. He joined the Monticello program in 1995 as the assistant swim coach for boys and girls. He has also coached the Monticello Swim Club.

Along with his duties as head swimming and diving coach, Hegle also works in the SCSU Compliance Office and with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

Hegle, a native of Melrose, Minn., is married to former SCSU volleyball standout Christin Broich. Together they have three daughters, Caitlin, Tessa, and Molly.

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