HEAD COACH JASON MAHOWALD

The 2020-21 season will be Jason Mahowald’s 16th as the head men's and women's swimming and diving coach at the University of South Dakota. Mahowald began his tenure in 2005-06 when the Coyotes were in Division II and has guided the program through the transition to Division I.

Mahowald began his coaching career by leading the women’s swimming and diving team to three-straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division II National Championships, including an eighth-place finish in 2005-06, which tied for the program’s best result. That same year, the women’s swimming and diving team was named an Academic All-American team by collegeswimming.com.

During the three-year stretch (2005-08) that Mahowald coached the Coyotes in Division II, he led the men’s and women’s teams to 29 All-America performances, 24 of which were individual performances.

Mahowald has received coach of the year honors twice. In 2006-07, Mahowald was named the North Central Conference Coach of the Year. In 2008-09, the one year the Coyotes spent in the Northern Sun Conference, Mahowald was named the NSC Coach of the Year. That same year, he was also honored as one of the outstanding coaches for the season by the American Swimming Coaches Association and received the Coaching Excellence Award.

USD made the jump to Division I in 2009-10 and the swimming and diving teams joined the Summit League. Mahowald coached the men’s and women’s teams to second-place finishes in 2019, the best finish for both teams, and the second straight runner-up finish for the men's team.

The 2018-19 season was a strong one for the Coyotes as the program claimed its first Summit League title in school history in swimming events with a win in the 800 free relay. Sarah Schank rounded out her career by sweeping the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events to earn Summit League Diving MVP and Summit League Diver of the Year. Isaac Morris won the 1-meter diving event to also been named Summit League Diving MVP and Summit League Diver of the Year.

Overall, the Coyotes had 14 individuals and eight relays earn All-Conference honors with top 3 finishes. The season as a whole saw 62 new marks on the Coyote Top 10 charts along with 23 school records, 14 individual and nine relays. Five individuals, Elbert Chuang, Isaac Morris, Josh Sorbe, Hannah Gupton and Haley Pederson were named to the Academic All-Summit League team. Sorbe and Pederson also earned CoSIDA All-District Academic honors.

The women's team recorded its highest finish ever in the Summit League Championships while also surpassing the 600 point mark in the event for the first time with a program best 676.

During the 2017-18 season, the Coyote men finished second in the Summit League Championships for the school's highest-ever placing while the men's team also scored 695 points, the most in the school's Summit League history. A total of 10 individuals and seven relays earned All-Conference honors, led by Summit League titles from divers Isaac Morris (one-meter and three-meter) and Haley Pederson (three-meter).

During the 2016-17 season, Mahowald helped the men’s and women’s teams set 16 school records, 106 season-best performances, and 82 lifetime performances.

Throughout his career, Mahowald has coached 34 individuals and three relay teams to conference titles in the NCC, NSC and the Summit.  A total of 49 individuals and 30 relay teams have earned All-Summit League honors for placing third or better in their events. A total of 21 athletes have been named to the All-Academic Team in the Summit League while four were named to All-Academic NCC and NSC teams. Swimmer Elizabeth Hoffman was named Academic All-District in 2009-10 and 2011-12. Swimmer Colin Krysl joined Hoffman on the 2011-12 team.

Mahowald led diver Jill Smolczyk to the Coyotes’ first-ever Division II national title as she won the one-meter dive in 2007-08. She was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Women’s At-Large team in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Smolczyk was also named Outstanding Diver at the NCC Championships in 2007-08.

Mahowald helped coach diver Greysen Hertting to three straight one- and three-meter Summit League diving championship titles from 2013-16. Hertting was named the Women’s Diving Championship MVP for three consecutive seasons (2013-16) and Summit League Diver of the Year all four years. She is only the third student-athlete in Summit League history to win a yearly award four times. Hertting won 16 event titles and collected seven Diver of the Week awards during the 2016-17 season, finishing her career with a record 32 Diver of the Week awards.

Also earning awards under Mahowald are: Scott Bruce who was named Men’s NCC Newcomer of the Year in 2005-06, Smolczyk was the Diver of the Year for the NCC in 2006-07, Leita Rolfe was named Co-Outstanding Swimmer of the NCC Championships in 2007-08, Thad Stoddard was named Male Freshman Swimmer of the Year in the NSC for 2008-09 and Emilie Kluth was named to the 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Team.

Mahowald earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2002) where he was a four-year letter winner and swimming and diving team captain. He received a master's degree in sports administration from Ball State University (2005). As assistant swimming coach (graduate assistant) at Ball State from August 2003 prior to his arrival at USD in 2005, Mahowald conducted workouts, arranged travels needs, and served as a recruiter for the program. He served as an assistant swim camp director (2004) at Ball State and was the Longhorn Swim Camp Coach at the University of Texas (2001, 2003) where he worked with Olympic Coach Eddie Reese and World Championship Coach Jill Sterkel.

While in high school, Mahowald was a national top-16 swimmer for the Hastings-Area Swim Team in Minnesota.

Mahowald and his wife, Melanie, live in Vermillion with their daughter, Addelle, and sons Luke, Bridger and Ryker.