FEATURES

Selflessness & Great Hair...

Sunday, 15 May 2011 03:00

(Photo -Selfless, Andy Clark leaps valiantly from a dock to intercept an errant Iraqi scud missile that was intended to decimate a Syrian target, yet somehow ended up in Minnesota. Andy was willing to sacrifice himself for his family and a beach full of strangers. Fortunately, the scud, like most scuds, did not detonate, thus Andy can continue to race and coach and do family stuff.)

Profile-ette - We've been a fan of Northfield's Andy Clark for a long time. A handsome and ripped Minnesota multisport pioneer with great competitive creds, he is also a highly decorated collegiate swim coach.

How decorated, you ask?

Check out his professional bio:

Andy Clark moves into his 18th season at the helm of the Carleton men's and women's swimming and diving programs. He's led the Knights to the 2000, 2001, 2009 MIAC titles on the women's side and the men a streak of fourteen consecutive top-four finishes at the conference meet andy highlighted by a third place finish in 2008. In addition, the Carleton women have placed in the top 10 at the 2002, 2003 and 2005 NCAA Division III Championships. His athletes at Carleton have earned All-American honors 37 times and each of his 17 squads have been awarded academic team honors by the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) on both the men's and women's side.

Clark has over 25 years of coaching experience at the USS and collegiate levels. From 1988-90, Clark coached the men's and women's swim teams at Whitman College (Wash.). After two successful seasons at Whitman, Clark pursued graduate work at the University of Oregon, where he continued to coach and teach swimming. In 1992, Clark worked as an assistant coach with the Stanford University men's swim team under the tutelage of Skip Kinney. Clark was involved with the training and coaching of several elite athletes including 1992 Barcelona Olympians Joe Hudepohl, Jeff Rouse and Pablo Morales. Following Stanford's 1993 NCAA Division I championship season, Clark accepted the head coaching position at Carleton. Clark returned to California for a brief sabbaticals after the 1999-2000 and 2006-2007 seasons, coaching Stanford swimmers as they trained in Palo Alto, Calif., and Colorado Springs, Colo., in preparation for the Olympic Trials. He is a graduate of Whitman College (B.A., geology, 1986) and the University of Oregon (M.S., exercise science, 1992).

In addition to his coaching duties at Carleton, Clark serves as an associate professor of physical education, athletics and recreation. Clark and his wife Kathy have two children, Allison (15) and Will (12).

Clark, 48, placed 7th against a stacked men's field at the dank and chilly Falls Du a few weekends back. Some of his tri highlights are listed below: andy