Milwaukee Athletics

Entering his 17th season as Milwaukee's head men's and women's swimming & diving coach in 2026-27, Kyle Clements has established the Panthers as one of the Horizon League's premier programs.

Promoted to head coach in the fall of 2010 after serving two seasons as the program's top assistant, Clements has guided Milwaukee to unprecedented success. During his tenure, the Panthers have captured four Horizon League Championships, earned 12 conference runner-up finishes and brought home 15 team trophies, while Clements has been recognized as the Horizon League Coach of the Year nine times.

Milwaukee has enjoyed remarkable individual success under Clements, with Panther swimmers rewriting nearly the entire record book. During his tenure, all but two of the program's combined school and freshman records have been broken, while his teams have produced numerous Horizon League individual and relay champions.

The 2011-12 season remains one of the finest in program history, as Milwaukee swept both the men's and women's Horizon League Championships for the only time in school history. The men's team finished a perfect 10-0 in dual meets and claimed its third consecutive league title, while the women captured their second conference championship. Clements was named Horizon League Coach of the Year for both the men's and women's programs following the historic campaign.

Milwaukee has continued to build on that success in recent years. The women's team has consistently finished among the Horizon League's top programs, earning multiple runner-up finishes and producing conference champions, relay champions and record-breaking performances. Clements has been named Horizon League Women's Swimming Coach of the Year six times, including each of the past three seasons, while the Panthers continue to set school and freshman records at an impressive pace.

Clements has also guided Milwaukee swimmers to success on the national stage. Emily McClellan became the first Horizon League swimmer to score points at the NCAA Championships, eventually finishing national runner-up in the 100 breaststroke in 2014 while helping Milwaukee place 26th nationally—the highest NCAA finish and point total in Horizon League history. McClellan also became the first Horizon League swimmer to record NCAA "A" qualifying standards and later competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials alongside two fellow Panthers.

More recently, Sam Lorenz became the first male swimmer in program history to qualify for the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships in 2025-26. Lorenz capped his historic season by posting career-best, school-record performances in both the 100-yard backstroke (45.71) and 200-yard backstroke (1:40.38) while competing against the nation's top swimmers in Atlanta.

Before becoming head coach, Clements spent two seasons as Milwaukee's top assistant after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Marshall University.
 
He earned his bachelor's degree in aquatics from Ball State University in 2007 while serving four years as a student assistant coach.