Steve Schadt, a Whitworth swimming alum entering his seventh year as head coach of the Pirate program in 2009-10, had a very successful first six seasons leading the Bucs. He has led the Whitworth men to six NWC titles, while the women earned their first NWC title since 1995 in 2008. The women's team finished 10th at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships, while his 2003-04 men placed 11th at the 2004-05 NCAA Championships.

He is a three-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year, winning the men's award in 2006 and the women's award in 2007 and 2008.

Schadt came to Whitworth from Salem International University, an NCAA Division II school in Salem, West Virginia, where he was the 2003 Blue Mountain Collegiate Conference and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Men's Swimming Coach of the Year.

Schadt had been the head coach at SIU for four years. During that time three of his swimmers earned NCAA Division II All-American standing and another won a pair of individual national titles. His women's program has finished among the top 26 teams in the nation three of the last four years, including an 11th place finish in 1999-00.

Schadt was an All-American himself at Whitworth, graduating in 1996 after helping the Pirates finish as national runners-up at the 1996 NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Salem, Schadt spent two years as an assistant coach at the Division I level. He was a volunteer assistant with University of California Berkeley in 1997-98 and was the head assistant at American University in 1998-99.

Gary Kessie, Assistant Swimming Coach
E-mail Coach Kessie at gkessie@whitworth.edu

Gary Kessie is in his sixth season as an assistant coach in the Whitworth swimming program with primary responsibility for the Pirate sprinters. He also serves as the Assistant Director for Community Programs at the Whitworth Aquatic Center.

During his previous five seasons leading the Whitworth sprinters, Kessie has coached numerous All-Conference and national qualifying performers, including seven-time individual conference champion and All-American Brittany Gresset.

A four-year letter-winner (2001-04) for the Pirates as a competitor, Kessie was part of three Northwest Conference championship teams at Whitworth. A breaststroke specialist, he was a four-year NWC championship finalist.

Whitney Barr, Assistant Swimming Coach

Whitney Barr enters her second year as part of Whitworth’s coaching staff in 2009-10. She was a distance competitor for two seasons for the Pirates before injuries shortened her career. She originally hails from Tacoma, Wash.