Swim coach retires after 26 seasons at Chapman

Head swim coach Dennis Ploessel (right) sits alongside assistant coach Erik Sandvig at a meet. The duo have coached together for the last five years. Photo courtesy of Steven Olveda. 

Head swim coach Dennis Ploessel ended his 26th year leading the Panthers swim and dive team to a record-breaking season. Having already rewritten multiple school records being rewritten, Ploessel will be ending his 50-year coaching career in good standing, as he begins his retirement now that the season is over. 

Dennis Ploessel told The Panther he believes he is leaving the program in a much better state than when he came on board years ago.  In his first year of coaching, there were 12 student athletes between swim, dive and water polo. Now there are 60 swimmers and earning a spot on the teams is significantly more competitive. 

“Only three (men’s) records and eight women’s records haven't been broken out of 40 total events we keep records on,” said assistant swim coach Erik Sandvig. “As far as what's next, only time will tell. It would be a great opportunity to take over for the coach as he goes into retirement.” 

Sandvig grew up swimming competitively against Dennis Ploessel’s children at meets before signing up for Chapman’s men’s water polo team in 1997. After leading the school in scoring, breaking records of his own and being a two time All-American, Sandvig joined Ploessel on the coaching staff in 2017.

“Coaching alongside Dennis these past five years has impacted me in a great way,” Sandvig told The Panther. “I’ve been coaching for about 15 years at this point, and he let me jump fully in with both feet forward and let me take over several aspects of the team.”

Ploessel also coaches at Chapman with his son, Eric Ploessel, the head coach for the water polo team. Shortly after graduating college, Eric Ploessel started out assisting with the swim and dive team under his dad before moving on to focus building up the water polo teams.

“He has taught me not just about how to coach but how to connect to each student-athlete,” Eric Ploessel told the Panther, describing how he has continued to learn from his father while coaching with him. “That is the biggest part of coaching; just connecting to your players.”

Both father and son agree that — throughout their coaching experiences — it was more memorable to be on the pool deck together, cheering on their swimmers, than to win big. Eric Ploessel said he hopes to retire at Chapman like his father too, continuing to build the program and create a family-like atmosphere in the meantime. 

Swim team members credit their confidence in competing to coach Dennis Ploessel and the encouraging coaching staff. 

“Coach Dennis has not only made me a better swimmer but also a better person,” said Hannah Parulan, a junior health science major who has been part of the swim team since her freshman year. “He has taught me how to enjoy everything I do, how to have a balanced life, how to not take everything so seriously and so many more lessons that can be applied inside and outside the pool.”

Captain Riley Brownfield, a junior communication studies major, spoke about how much the team will miss Dennis Ploessel being a part of their college swim careers and how they are wishing him the best on this next chapter in life.

“I am reminded of the joy and happiness swimming brings me because of the team dynamic we have, which comes from the leadership of the coaches,” Brownfield said. 

Between the coaching staff and team members, Dennis Ploessel will leave the program in good hands. 

“I have been so successful as an athlete under training with Coach Erik,” said Omar Insignares, a senior business major, “he is very humble, without being weak, which is why my whole Chapman swim team family and I respect him as a coach, but most importantly as a role model.”

The momentum and success in Chapman’s swim community isn’t going anywhere, as Coach Dennis Ploessel has made such an impact on his student-athletes and fellow coaches.