Cyclone Swimming Camps
Duane Sorenson, Iowa State Women's Swimming Coach
Duane Sorenson, who enters his 12th season as the head coach of the Iowa State swimming and diving program, brings a squad that includes 21 returning letterwinners and 12 newcomers into the 2008-09 campaign.
Under Sorenson’s direction, ISU swimmers have been named all-conference 35 times, including Abby Glaser, who has earned all-Big 12 accolades in the 100 fly in each of her first two years at ISU. A year ago, four Cyclone swimmers captured all-league honors, led by Marni Benson, who captured all-conference honors in the 100 and 200 breaststroke.
As a testament to his ability to improve student-athlete performances and get the most out of his swimmers, all of Iowa State’s current swimming records have been set under the guidance of Sorenson.
The 2007-08 dual season was highlighted by a Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series win over intrastate rival Iowa, clinching the annual competition for Iowa State. ISU also picked up wins over Nebraska-Omaha, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State and St. Olaf before finishing fifth at the Big 12 Championships with 347 points. The Cyclones broke numerous school records during the three-day event and had seven all-conference performances in the pool and on the diving boards.
The Cyclones secured fifth place with impressive platform diving performances from Tien Tran and Kali Fryklund. Tran finished second and Fryklund set a personal best to finish sixth.
The 30-year coaching veteran has compiled a 55-50 (.524) record in his 11 years at Iowa State. He has won six or more duals in three seasons, including a 7-2 finish during the 2001-02 campaign. It was ISU’s best record in 20 years and the team finished fourth at the Big 12 meet, scoring 500 points, the highest total in school history and the best finish at the Big 12 meet. Three Cyclones competed in six events at the NCAA Championships that year, including Sonja Groning, who finished 19th in the 100 fly.
The 2000-01 Cyclones finished 6-4 while the 2002-03 team went 6-3, which marks the second-best record achieved by an ISU swimming and diving team under Sorenson.
Since taking the position as the Cyclones’ head coach, Sorenson’s teams have not only made great strides in the pool, but have achieved success in the classroom as well. Iowa State’s grade-point average is consistently among the best in the conference and frequently among the nation’s highest.
The Cyclones placed eight student-athletes on the academic all-Big 12 teams in 2007-08, including six on the first team. Lindsey Behrens, Marni Benson, Maddie Crawford, Kali Fryklund, Tien Tran and Lindsay Wiesner captured first team honors, while Lindsay Wegner and Emily Welborn were second-team honorees. Bensonwent on to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII women’s at-large team, becoming the second swimmer to earn the honor in as many years.
As a team, ISU earned CSCAA Academic All-America team honors for the 19th straight semester.
Before coming to Iowa State, Sorenson was head coach of the South East Metro Sharks (SEMS) Swim Club. As coach of the Sharks, he received the Minnesota Chapter of the American Swimming Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year award five different times. In his 20 years with the club, Sorenson led the team to five championships and 11 runner-up finishes at state competition. More notably, he tutored 67 junior national qualifiers and 25 senior national qualifiers throughout his tenure at SEMS. From 1987-97, more than 120 of Sorenson’s swimmers graduated to the collegiate level.
Sorenson served as the head coach for the Woodbury High School girls’ swim team. While coaching the Royals, Sorenson’s squads captured four conference titles, won four sectional championships, had one state runner-up finish and captured one state title. His accomplishments earned him the 1991 High School Coach of the Year award for the state of Minnesota.
Sorenson also served as the head girls’ swimming coach at Park/Woodbury High School (1982-85), Park Senior High (1979-81) and Tartan High School (1977-78), all in Minnesota. Sorenson coached swimmers at these schools to three sectional championships and four conference titles.
During the 1978-79 season, Sorenson was asked back to his alma mater, Bemidji State University, as an assistant coach for the men’s team. He helped guide the Beavers to a fourth-place NAIA national finish, the highest national placing in school history.
As a student-athlete at Bemidji State from 1973-77, Sorenson was a member of the swimming team. During his junior and senior seasons he was an NAIA All-American and co-captain. In 1976, he swam to a Northern Intercollegiate Conference championship in the 200 breaststroke.