Mount Vernon Nazarene University: Athletics: Cougars


	Lady Cougar Volleyball Coach Paul Swanson is entering his 24th season as the head coach of the MVNU women's volleyball program. Over the past 23 years, Swanson has led the Lady Cougars to a 795-282 overall record (.738), six conference titles, fifteen National Christian College Athletic Association district or region championships, and sixteen straight trips to the NCCAA National Tournament. MVNU has also won 30 or more matches in each of the past fourteen seasons, topped the 40-win mark during seven of those years, and recorded 50-plus wins twice. In 2006, Swanson guided the Lady Cougars to a 31-18 overall record and a 10-6 American Mideast Conference South Division mark. The team advanced to the semifinals of both the NAIA Region IX Tournament and the NCCAA National Tournament. Swanson has led his teams to the NAIA Region Tournament for thirteen straight seasons with the Lady Cougars advancing to the championship match five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2005). During the decade of the 1990s, Swanson led MVNU to an incredible 122-9 home record that included a then-NAIA record 70-match winning streak. Swanson has been selected as the conference Coach of the Year four times and named the NCCAA district or region Coach of the Year fourteen times. In addition, he was featured in Sports Illustrated in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the October 6, 1997 issue. In 2005, Swanson was named to the NCCAA Hall of Fame - becoming the first MVNU player or coach to be so honored. He also became the NAIA's all-time wins leader during the 2006 season and finished the year with 810 victories in 24 years at NAIA schools. Swanson has developed seven NAIA All-Americans, eighteen NCCAA All-Americans, one NCCAA National Player of the Year, and two conference Players of the Year during his tenure at MVNU. He has also had fourteen NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes and one CoSIDA Academic All-American. A native of Illinois, Swanson graduated from North Park (IL) College in 1975 after playing basketball for the Vikings. He went to West Virginia University after graduation and served as an assistant coach while working on his master's degree. Swanson traveled to Japan and South America as a coach with Athletes in Action during the summers of 1982 and 1983 respectively before taking a head coaching position at Waynesburg (PA) College in 1983. After a 15-15 campaign at Waynesburg, Swanson came to MVNU where he has now had 20 straight winning seasons. Swanson, who also teaches in the Physical Education Department at MVNU, resides in Mount Vernon with his wife, Susie. The couple has three sons: Casey, Brady, and Riley. In 2002, Swanson was honored as the recipient of MVNU's President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. To contact Coach Swanson, you can e-mail him at pswanson@mvnu.edu.

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