May 26, 2005

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.--Lewis University men's and women's swimming head coach Jennifer Arndt has resigned effective June 30 to become the assistant women's swimming coach at NCAA Division I University of Tennessee.

Arndt has been the Flyers' head coach for the past three seasons. She has coached five athletes to 10 All-America honors, including the first and second male All-Americans in school history. In addition, the swimming teams had the most athletes in program history earn spots on the University's Deans' List this past semester.

"Jennifer originally came to Lewis as a graduate assistant," said Lewis Director of Athletics Paul Zakowski. "She took over as our head coach when Steve Hawkins resigned during the first week of classes. Jennifer jumped in and did an outstanding job with the program. We wish Jennifer well in her new position. In the meantime, we will start the process to hire a new coach immediately."

Arndt joins Tennessee head women's swimming coach Matt Kredich's staff.

"Jennifer Arndt is one of the brightest young coaches in the college ranks today. Her competitive swimming and coaching experience make her an ideal candidate for this position," said Kredich. "She is an excellent communicator and she has a fantastic educational background. She has done a phenomenal job with both men and women at Lewis, and I believe her head coaching experience will allow her to come in immediately and help me promote and implement a shared vision for bringing the Lady Vol Swimming and Diving program to national prominence."

Arndt also served on the NCAA Swimming and Diving Rules Committee and the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Executive Board as the NCAA Division II representative for women's swimming, doing so from September 2004 to the present. Her other responsibilities at Lewis included acting as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Moderator, serving as the athletics department's liaison to student services, and filling a role as director of Student-Athlete Health and Wellness. Additionally, she introduced a CHAMPS/Life Skills program sponsored by the NCAA.

Arndt was the third head coach in Lewis' 10-year swimming history. Each coach in the program has left for Division I assistant coaching positions; Stephanie Putzi, the program's first coach, left for Auburn University, while Steve Hawkins went to Ohio State.