Duncan Sherrard & Kyle Patnode Hired as South Carolina Assistants

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Photo Courtesy: Thomas Campbell/Texas A&M Athletics

South Carolina head swimming coach Jeff Poppell announced the addition of Duncan Sherrard and Kyle Patnode to his Gamecock coaching staff on Wednesday afternoon.

Duncan Sherrard most recently spent three years at Auburn as an assistant coach responsible for the sprinters. During his time on the plains, he developed several of the top sprint athletes in the nation including one individual SEC Champion, three SEC Champion relay teams which all broke SEC Championship meet records, a Pan American Games Silver Medalist and Pan American Games Record Holder. In addition to helping 12 Auburn student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships, he guided his swimmers to 43 All-America honors and nine program records.

Prior to arriving at Auburn, Sherrard was an assistant coach at North Carolina from 2015-2018 where he was responsible for leading the men’s and women’s sprinters. He also served as the recruiting coordinator for the men’s team. His accolades while with the Tar Heels include developing two All-Americans, 30 Honorable Mention All-Americans, one ACC Champion and ACC record holder, and helping UNC field its first NCAA finalist in the women’s 50 Free in 19 years. Overall, Sherrard’s athletes broke 27 program records (13 individual, 14 relay).

In 2017, while at UNC, Duncan Sherrard served on the women’s staff for Team USA at the World University Games held in Taipei, Taiwan. His athletes earned two Gold, three Silver and three Bronze Medals at the games.

“Duncan has clearly established himself as one of the top sprint coaches in the country evidenced by his outstanding accomplishments at both UNC and Auburn,” said Poppell. “Over the years, I have had the opportunity to witness first-hand the positive impact he has made on the teams he has been a part of as well as with the athletes he has coached. I am truly excited to see what he will bring to our program at South Carolina as we seek to climb the SEC ladder and establish a strong presence nationally.”

Prior to his time in Chapel Hill, Sherrard served as the head coach for NCAA Division II Florida Southern College from 2009-2015 where his teams won three consecutive men’s Sunshine State Conference Titles. He was named the Sunshine State Conference Men’s Coach of the Year four times and his men’s teams were the national runner-up in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014.

Duncan Sherrard earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Florida where he swam for four years. He was a 14-time All-American, three-time SEC Champion and two-time SEC record holder for the Gators. He later completed his Master of Education in educational leadership and higher education administration from Florida Atlantic University.

Kyle Patnode most recently served as a volunteer assistant coach at The Ohio State University. This past year, he was instrumental in helping the Ohio State women win the Big Ten title with the highest point total ever recorded in conference history. Ohio State went on to finish seventh at the 2021 Women’s NCAA Championships, which was their highest NCAA finish in school history. The following week, the Buckeye men also placed 7th at the 2021 Men’s NCAA Championships, which marked the team’s highest finish at the national meet since 1965. Ohio State was one of just six schools at the 2021 NCAA Championships whose men and women’s teams both placed in the top-10.

Prior to Ohio State, Patnode spent two years as a graduate assistant at Oakland University where he oversaw the team’s sprint and middle-distance events. While working alongside head coach Peter Hovland, he helped the women’s team win its 25th and 26th consecutive conference championships while the men’s team won their 41st and 42nd consecutive conference titles.

Kyle Patnode also brings extensive strength and conditioning experience to his new role at South Carolina after serving as a volunteer assistant with the strength and conditioning staffs at both the University of Iowa as an undergraduate and during his stint Ohio State. While at Iowa, he implemented strength and conditioning programs for six varsity teams including swimming. With the Buckeyes, he helped execute strength and conditioning programs for 27 different men’s and women’s varsity teams including swimming and diving. While at Ohio State, Patnode continued to capitalize on his strength and conditioning background by leading the Buckeyes’ dynamic warm-ups, stretching, and explosive activation drills pre and post competition.

“Kyle brings an energy and passion to our program at South Carolina that I think the athletes will enjoy,” said Poppell. “His recent experience at Ohio State with the Big Ten champion women’s team and Big Ten runner-up men’s team, will be invaluable as we seek to change the culture of our program into one centered on doing the necessary things to be great. In addition, Kyle’s strength and conditioning background will prove to be a valuable asset that I feel we can capitalize on to help our athletes take the next step in their individual development.”

Patnode earned a Bachelor of Arts in health and human physiology (exercise science emphasis) with a minor in human relations from the University of Iowa where he was a four-year member of the Hawkeye men’s swimming team, where he served as a team captain his final year. He received a Master of Arts in liberal studies from Oakland University.

Duncan Sherrard and Kyle Patnode join Robert Pinter on Poppell’s new staff. Pinter was Poppell’s first hire back on April 27.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with South Carolina Swimming & Diving. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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