Former Volleyball Coach Rick Swan Inducted into Colo. Springs Sports Hall of Fame – Colorado College Athletics

Rick Swan, who guided Colorado College to a 596-175 overall record and 22 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship, was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame Tuesday night.
  
Joining Swan in the Class of 2024 were Henry Cejudo, Lauren Howe, Chucky Jeffrey, Lou Vairo, Richard Clark, the 1983 Coronado High School volleyball team and the 1997 Sierra High School boys basketball team.
 
“We’re so happy for Rick to receive this recognition for his achievements at Colorado College,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said. “It is also an opportunity to recognize his commitment to growing volleyball in the Colorado Springs community. Rick’s achievements on the court left a legacy solidifying our volleyball program as one of the best Division III teams in the country. We’re grateful for all he has done here at Colorado College and join the community in celebrating all he has given to the sport.”
 
Swan concluded his final season at CC (2020-21) with a perfect 17-0 record and ranked No. 1 in the country in Division III, but due to the pandemic, no NCAA playoffs were hosted.
 
CC posted 30 or more victories nine times during his last 12 seasons, while dropping double-digit matches only once. Swan’s victory total and .773 winning percentage both are program records.
 
The Tigers’ 2019 campaign may go down as one of the best coaching performances of Swan’s career. Despite a rash of injuries that sidelined three starters for more than 50 combined matches, he led the Tigers to a 32-5 record, a trip to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament, and a No. 8 ranking in the final AVCA poll. Swan also picked up career victory No. 600 with a sweep of Randolph-Macon College on Oct. 11.
 
In 2009, Swan guided CC to a 35-5 mark and the program’s first and only appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where the Tigers fell to eventual national champion Washington University in four sets. Colorado College advanced to the Elite 8 by posting five-set victories over West Region rivals California Lutheran University and the University of La Verne.
 
CC finished that season ranked No. 7 in the final AVCA poll, one of six times the Tigers finished a year in the Top 10.
 
In 2017, Colorado College earned the program’s first No. 1 ranking and finished the campaign with a 33-2 record, setting a program single-season record with a .943 winning percentage. During the regular season, the Tigers posted a 7-0 mark against nationally-ranked opponents, including a sweep of Calvin College for the program’s first-ever victory over an opponent ranked No. 1 at the time of the match.
 
The Tigers capped the regular season by claiming the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 14-0 record. That mark included a pair of victories over Southwestern University and Trinity University, both of which were ranked in the top five on the dates of the matches.
 
Swan’s rate of success was even more impressive in the SCAC, winning almost 90 percent of his matches with a 175-23 record. During its 14 seasons in the conference, Colorado College won or shared seven regular-season and six postseason championships. He was named SCAC Coach of the Year six times.
 
Including a two-year stint as head coach at Webster University in St. Louis, Swan accrued 629 career collegiate victories and a .740 winning percentage.
 
Prior to his time at Colorado College, Swan coached the St. Mary’s High School girls’ team to a state championship in 1996, when he was named Coach of the Year by The Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. St. Mary’s also finished second (1994), third (1997) and fourth (1995) at state during his five seasons there.
 
Since leaving CC in July 2021, he served as head coach of the Saint Kitts and Nevis men’s and women’s national teams, competing worldwide. Swan continues to give back to youth volleyball by promoting and directing the development of youth volleyball programs on the island and coaching youth camps in Boulder.