When Hillsdale College swim team head coach Kurt Kirner arrived at Lawrence University in 1991 to earn some money while he finished his dissertation for his Ph.D., he didn’t realize that he would find a different calling.
Kirner went on to spend 16 seasons at D-III Lawrence as a swim coach and became one of six inductees into Lawrence University’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 24. Lawrence honored Kirner’s time at the school and the success he brought to the swim program.
In his time at Lawrence, 187 swimmers were named Midwest Conference champions, and he is responsible for establishing the team as one of Wisconsin’s top D-III swimming programs.
“I like motivating people to be the best they can be and that is what drives me to be a coach and teacher,” Kirner said. “I feel that my time there was rewarded with many great friendships that inspired a championship atmosphere that is still admired today.”
Kirner left Lawrence in 2007 when he was offered a job at Hillsdale College as a teacher and the head coach of the women’s swim team. Although Kirner is no longer at Lawrence, his achievements there are still recognized.
“It characterizes the fact that I have positively affected many lives. Once I found out about the honor, I asked my former LU athletes to write me a paragraph of what the program meant to them as to where they are today,” Kirner said, “From that request I received just short of 100 responses with some really positive, life-altering experiences and memories. What greater honor than to be at the hub in such neat experiences.”
This honor is one that Kirner hopes to work towards here at Hillsdale—building a quality program from both an academic and athletic perspective is his priority going forward.
“My priority now is to earn my reputation here and continue to build the Charger women’s swim program. Lawrence University is a wonderful chapter in my life but my focus is the current athletes that I now have the pleasure of coaching.”
