Wabash College swimming assistant coach Dan Burke is one of six assistant coaches selected to receive the Jean Freeman Scholarship from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
The Freeman Scholarship is awarded annually to six assistant coaches whose exceptional contributions have brought recognition to their college or university, and whose leadership, integrity, honesty, competitive attitude, and personal graciousness epitomize those characteristics reflected by Jean Freeman, longtime women’s swimming coach at the University of Minnesota. Recipients were selected by a committee comprised of members of The Summit for Empowering Women in Swimming. The scholarship provides free registration and lodging at the 60th annual CSCAA Convention and Awards Banquet and the CSCAA Coach Academy. Airfare is also provided by All Sports International.
“Dan makes me better as a coach by challenging us to come up with new and innovative ways to progress our team forward,” Wabash head swimming coach Will Bernhardt said. “His constant and contagious energy is an inspiration to not only our athletes but our staff as well. His positive outlook and ‘never say can’t’ attitude make for an invaluable asset to Wabash College and the swimming and diving team.
“Dan adds so much to our community and program that it would be hard to put it all on one sheet of paper. The men on our team are very comfortable going to Dan with any issue and that is what I consider a key aspect of being a great coach. The trust the athletes have in Dan speaks volumes to the type of person he is. He wants to help our young men grow in so many more ways than just swimmers and divers. I believe this adds value to their collegiate experience and affirmation that our program is making a bigger difference on the lives of those that we have the privilege to work with. Everything that Coach Freeman embodied I see in Dan. I am delighted that the committee was able to see in him what I get to see on a daily basis. Winning this award is such an honor for our program and our institution.”
Joining Burke as 2019 recipients of the Freeman Scholarship are Kristin Walker from Georgia Southern University, Daniel Dozier from North Carolina Asheville, Mona Groteguth from the University of Indianapolis, Alice McCall from Florida Atlantic University, and Nathan Harding from Biola University. The CSCAA Convention and Coach Academy takes place May 5-8 in Myrtle Beach, Florida.
“I am more than honored to be named a Freeman Scholarship recipient,” Burke said. “This award is not about your accomplishments as a coach, it’s really about the way you interact with student-athletes and how you make them better individuals as a mentor. I’ve been to the convention in previous years as just one of several assistant coaches in attendance. To be on the stage this year to be recognized as someone who is making a difference in the lives of swimmers will be both an awesome and humbling experience. It will also be a tremendous step to help me achieve my career goals as a swimming coach over the next five to ten years.”
“This first year at Wabash has been as much a learning opportunity for me as it has been for our student-athletes in the program. Being an assistant coach and helping the team through the transition of bringing a new head coach on board when Will took over in the early weeks of the season taught me a lot about my coaching style, both in things I feel I do well and in areas where I need to improve.”
Keep an eye on this young fella over the next five years. He is on the rise, very accurate article!