Tim Swartzendruber began his tenure as Director of Athletics on Oct. 16, 2023. He most recently served
as Director of Athletics at Pratt (Kan.) Community College, March 2019 until Oct. 12, 2023.
Prior to Pratt, Swartzendruber was the head men’s basketball coach and a professor in the Department of Health,
Physical Education and Recreation at McPherson (Kan.) College; was head men’s basketball coach, head
tennis coach and professor at Hesston (Kan.) College; and served as a head boys basketball coach and
teacher at Kingman (Kan.) High School and Wellington (Kan.) High School. His first teaching and coaching
opportunity was at Newton High School, where he was an assistant football and basketball coach and
taught physical education and health.
While at Pratt, Swartzendruber was responsible for numerous improvements in the athletic department.
Completed projects during his time there included remodeling the baseball press box; renovating the
wrestling room; creating a new officials’ locker room; buying new weight equipment; building new
restrooms in the basement of the Riney Student Center; and renovating the men’s basketball locker
room. Swartzendruber was also instrumental in securing a large gift to the athletic department that will
enable a major upgrade to the current baseball facility, including new turf, a new backstop wall and a
new storage building.
Also while Swartzendruber was at Pratt, the athletic teams showed continued academic improvement.
In 2022-23, seven of 13 sports earned Academic Team of the Year status through the NJCAA.
At McPherson College, Swartzendruber’s basketball teams won two KCAC championships and qualified
for the NAIA National Basketball Tournament four consecutive years. His best season was 2011-12,
when the Bulldogs captured the regular-season KCAC championship along with the conference
tournament title. That team went on to reach the Final Four of the NAIA National Tournament, finishing
with an overall record of 33-4. During Swartzendruber’s tenure, the Bulldogs were also recognized twice
as the Champions of Character team.
At Hesston College, Swartzendruber had two 20-win seasons, for only the second and third times. He led
the Larks to the NJCAA Region VI Championship game two straight years.
Before becoming a head college basketball coach, Swartzendruber spent 22 years in public education,
19 of them as a head boys basketball coach. During this time, his teams won six league championships
and four sub-state titles. He was named the KSHSAA Kansas Coach of the Year and the National
Federation Midwest Section Coach of the Year following the 2003-04 basketball season.
A native of Hesston, Kan., Swartzendruber holds a B.S. from Bethel College (1981) and a master’s degree in
sports administration from Wichita State University (1994). Swartzendruber and his wife Susan are the
parents of six children: Tyler, Garrett, Clayton, Taylor, Landon and Kinley. They also have three
grandchildren, Mila, Xander and Eli. In his spare time, Swartzendruber enjoys playing golf, attending
sporting events and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
