A 2010 graduate of Luther, the 2026-2027 season will be Aaron's eighth as head coach of the men's and women's swimming and diving teams.
The men's and women's teams have been very successful during his tenure including nine conference championships over the past six years. The men have been American Rivers Conference champions in 2022, 2023, and 2025 as well as Liberal Arts Champions in 2021. The women have won five consecutive titles: 2022-2025 in the American Rivers Conference and the 2021 Liberal Arts Championship. He has been named a coach of the year annually since he took the helm: 2020 Liberal Arts Women’s Coach of the Year, 2022 A-R-C Men’s Diving Coach of the Year, 2023, 2025 and 2026 A-R-C Men’s Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year, and 2024 and 2025 A-R-C Women’s Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year.
During the past four championship meets, the men have combined for 111 all-conference honors (top-3 finish) that includes 38 conference champions. Two individuals were named Diver of the Meet: Colin Halverson (2023, 2025, 2026) and Jack Bell (2024), and one was named Swimmer of the Meet: Kevin Kretz (2023, 2025).
The women have combined for 123 all-conference honors (top-3 finish) that included 39 conference champions over the past four years. two have been named Swimmer of the Meet: Hayley Crosland (2024) and Mia Prater (2026), two were named Diver of the Meet: Ella Rowley (2025) and Noelle Gallucci (2026), and two Rookie of the Year: Annabelle Pollock (2025) and Annemarie Johnson (2026).
As coach, he's overseen 189 top-10 all-time performances, 27 school records, 8 NCAA Regional Diving Qualifiers, 9 Scholar All-Americans, one NCAA Division III National Championship qualifier Mia Prater (2023, 2026), and 1 NCAA Postgraduate Scholar: Jack Bell (2025).
While swimming for the Norse, Aaron was a member of four IIAC conference championship teams and three Liberal Arts Championship teams. He swam on four different relays that claimed five Liberal Arts Championships and seven IIAC conference meet titles. He was also crowned IIAC conference champion in the 200 backstroke (2010).
Prior to taking over as head coach, he was the associate director of development at the University of Chicago. He also served as head assistant men's and women's swimming coach at Illinois Institute of Technology from 2015-18. He began his career as an elementary teacher while also coaching state championship teams, individual state champions and Olympic trials qualifiers at the Iowa Flyers Swim Club (Iowa City, Iowa: 2010-13) and the Ames Cyclones Aquatic Club (Ames, Iowa: 2013-14).Â
Coach Zander's Blog -
10 Years Later
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