James Steen was the head coach of the swim teams at
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...
from 1976 to 2012.
Steen's teams have won more
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
championships than any other team in any division or any sport.
Under his leadership the Lords won 31 consecutive
NCAA Division III
NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...
championships, the first having been in 1980,
while the Ladies have won 17 consecutive (23 nonconsecutive) titles beginning 1984. In over 30 years at Kenyon, Coach Steen has developed over 150 NCAA champions and over 300
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
ns.
He has coached several Olympic Trial qualifiers, Division I All-Americans, and been voted CSCAA Division III Coach-of-the-year twelve times. He has also produced more post-graduate scholars than any other coach in any division, and places high importance on students' academic performance as well as athletic success.
In 1996 Coach Steen took a one-year sabbatical from Kenyon College to consult with many of America's top coaches prior to the
Atlanta Olympic Games
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
.
He was also consulted during the designing and building of the swimming facilities for the
Kenyon Athletic Center The Lowry Center (formerly Kenyon Athletic Center) is an athletic center and student union serving the Kenyon College and Gambier village communities in Ohio. It was designed by architect Graham Gund and opened to the public on 25 January&nbs ...
in 2002.
In August 2008, he was invited to give an informational "pep talk" to the
Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
Steen was an early adopter of sports psychology and used visualization and cross training practices long before other programs.
Steen is the creator of the Power Rack, and began the Elite Swim Camps, which have grown to sports other than swimming.
Steen retired from coaching in 2012 after 36 years. He was replaced by Kenyon former Kenyon swimmer Jess Book, who has won three consecutive NCAA Division III titles.
Former Kenyon swimmers now coaching at the college level include NCAA Champion Coaches Gregg Parini (Denison),
Jon Howell (Emory), and Marc Christian (Pitt).
References
External links
Kenyon profile
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American swimming coaches
College swimming coaches in the United States
Kenyon Lords and Ladies swimming and diving
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