Augsburg University Athletics

The 1979 Augsburg Honor Athlete and one of the best wrestlers to ever come through the Augsburg program. A three-time MIAC individual champion, three-time All-American, two-time team Most Valuable Player and team captain his senior season, Swenson earned the NAIA national title at 167 pounds in 1979 after finishing fourth the prior two years. He finished his career with a 102-17 record. He was also a four-year letter winner linebacker for the Auggie football team.

After graduating from Augsburg with a degree in health and physical education, he earned his master’s degree in health from the University of Minnesota in 1982. He served one year as an assistant coach, and then succeeded John Grygelko as head coach for the Auggie wrestling team in 1980-81.

Swenson is considered one of the best wrestling coaches in the nation, having compiled a 321-44 dual-meet record during his tenure.  Under Swenson's leadership, Augsburg won 10 NCAA Division III wrestling national titles in a 17-year span, a championship total doubling that of any other Division III school. Augsburg is one of only three NCAA schools to have won 10 or more wrestling national titles. Augsburg also finished second in Division III national competition seven times under Swenson, and finished among the top four teams in national competition 19 seasons in a row -- the only NCAA school in any division that can make that claim.

During his tenure as Augsburg's head coach, Swenson coached 158 All-Americans and 39 individual national champions. Since beginning its competition in the NCAA Division III national tournament in 1983 (Augsburg competed in the NAIA prior to 1983) under Swenson, Augsburg won 38 Division III individual national titles in Swenson's tenure, the most of any Division III school.

Augsburg has also been a success in the classroom. Under Swenson's leadership, Augsburg produced 98 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, the most of any college in any division in the nation. Augsburg has also had eight ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans in wrestling, as awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), during Swenson's tenure.

Swenson, whose teams also won 20 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team titles, was named MIAC Coach of the Year 13 times and NWCA National Coach of the Year six times (1983, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2007).

Swenson was inducted into the NCAA Division III Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005, the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association/David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2000-01, Swenson was named Lutheran College National Coach of the Year (all sports) from Lutheran Brotherhood, and in 2002, he earned National College Coach of the Year honors (all divisions) from Wrestling USA Magazine. 

Swenson also served as an assistant coach on the Augsburg football staff for 10 years. He also spent two years away from Augsburg (1984-86) as wrestling coach at Rosemount (Minn.) High School. He began his duties overseeing the athletic department in 2001, when he was named Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation. In 2007, as part of a restructuring of the athletic department, Swenson's title was changed to Athletic Director. He has also been serving as a wrestling assistant coach since 2008.

Swenson and his wife, Melissa, live in Minneapolis, Minn., and have three sons, Brady and twin boys Brett and Ethan, and a daughter, Amy.