Former Division I Star Has Had an Extensive Coaching Career in Florida; Also Ties to Sidney
Kearney, Neb. – Kyle Trelka has been hired as head swimming and diving coach at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Director of Athletics Marc Bauer announced today.
He'll begin his duties in January and replaces Becky O'Connell, who retired this fall. The Aqualopers season started in September and runs until the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships in mid-February.
UNK will formally introduce Trelka as the fifth coach in program history at a January press conference; date and time to be announced.
"I am excited for Kyle to lead the women's swimming and diving programs. He set himself apart throughout the interview process, articulating his passion, competitive mindset, drive, and vision to positively impact our student-athletes experiences and ability to reach their full potential," said Bauer.
A standout swimmer at Division I Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Trelka helped the Panthers win three straight Horizon League titles. A two-time co-captain, he was tabbed the team's Rookie of the Year in 2009 and was team MVP as a senior. Trekla graduated from UWM in 2012 with a double major in Finance and Marketing.
"I'm very blessed to have the opportunity to join the Lopers athletic staff and look forward to building on an already strong aquatics tradition and culture," said Trelka. "Being a lifelong competitive swimmer has given me plenty of insight and input into my training and meets. As a full-time coach the past nine years, I’ve been able to hone my coaching ideals and philosophy."
Before moving to Florida in 2015 to get involved with swimming again, Trelka worked for Cabela's Corporate in Sidney, Nebraska, where he met his wife, Shari, and they have four children: Zayden, Niya, Troy, and Riana. Since then, he's become a decorated high school, club, and AAU coach who has won awards, seen his athletes win regional and state titles, and earn college scholarships, many at the D1 level.
"Kyle brings a standard of excellence as an accomplished competitor at the highest level in collegiate athletics and on the pool deck as a coach," said Bauer. "I am confident that under his leadership, he will continue to build and move the program in a positive direction while creating a meaningful experience for our student-athletes."
Most recently, he's been head swim & dive coach at Clearwater High School (2016-23), Calvary Christian High School (2021-23), co-head track & field coach at Clearwater H.S. (2021-23), and head coach, founder and CEO of Radiant Aquatics (2018-23). Radiant is a 501c3 not-for-profit team that has seven employees and operates year-round. Previously, Trelka was head branch coach for Blue Wave/Trident Swimming (2016-18) and is a founding member of "Team Florida," an AAU club that coordinates with several teams in competing under one umbrella at the Junior Olympic Meet, which is held annually in July. "As a result of our unique collaboration with Kearney Public Schools and sharing the pool facility at Kearney Senior High School, Kyle's track record as the founder and CEO of an elite club in Florida will be a valuable asset as he plans to partner with KHS to establish a strong presence with the Kearney community and surrounding area's youth," said Bauer.
Each program Trelka has worked with was built from the ground up and has become successful. Trident had eight swimmers when he arrived in 2015; he now coaches 80-plus high school-aged swimmers daily and runs a program that seasonally has 200-plus swimmers, divers, and triathletes. Radiant Aquatics is a multi-branch program that uses three pools seasonally. Trelka marketed and helped grow the teams, which feature all levels, ages, and abilities. That includes several Junior National qualifiers and swimmers who qualified for the Top 16 at the state high school championships.
"I love building team cultures that thrive on community. Once that is established, results are sure to follow for years to come," said Trelka.
For the Clearwater Tornadoes, he was named the 2021-22 Pinellas County Athletic Conference (PCAC) Boys Swim & Dive Coach of the Year. The girls and boys' teams were 2021 District 8 and Region 3 Champions, with an individual winning 2021 state titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles. He previously coached state champs in the 100-backstroke and 100-butterfly and helped build the CHS squad from a bottom-eight conference team to an annual contender.
At Calvary Christian, he helped double the size of the team in one year and saw the boy's 400-free relay team set a school record. For Team Florida, he was nominated as Head Coach for 2021 (Houston) and 2022 (Greensboro, N.C.) Junior Olympic meets. Trelka helped the girls' teams place second each year, setting new meet records along the way.
"It's been an honor to coach with so many teams and people in Florida. I very much look forward to the building of an already solid program at Kearney!" said Trelka.
UNK spent last weekend in Sioux Falls at the Augustana Invitational and will head to Iowa for the Pioneer Classic in early December.
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