Northwestern head women’s swimming and diving head coach Abby Steketee has announced the addition of Kyle Berg as an assistant coach for the Wildcats on Monday, July 6.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Kyle Berg to the Northwestern family,” Steketee said. “He is completely committed to helping student-athletes reach the highest levels of academics and athletics. Kyle’s integrity, tenacity, and swimming knowledge are an asset to our team and a great fit for Northwestern.”
“I would like to thank Coach Steketee and Dr. Phillips for the opportunity to join the Northwestern Wildcats family,” Berg said. “I am excited to help our student-athletes excel in all aspects while providing a world-class student-athlete experience. Coach Steketee has an exciting vision for the Northwestern Women’s Swimming & Diving program and I will work hard to see that it is realized.”
Berg joins the Wildcats after spending the last season with the men’s and women’s programs of Florida Atlantic. In March 2015, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America named Berg a 2015 Jean Freeman Scholarship Recipient. The Jean Freeman Scholarship is giving annually to a male and a female assistant coach in each NCAA Division whose exceptional contributions have brought recognition to their college or university, and whose leadership, integrity, honesty, competitive attitude and personal graciousness epitomizes those characteristics reflected by Jean Freeman.
During his season at FAU, Berg was in charge of designing and running the training programs for the sprint groups while assisting with all other group training. He was also responsible for organizing and implementing recruiting strategies, overseeing media and alumni relations and the oversight of the daily operations of the FAU Aquatic Center.
Six individuals and five relay teams broke school records during the 2014-15 campaign, while Agnes Bucz qualified and competed at the 2015 NCAA Championships in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle.
Prior to his stint at FAU, Berg coached at Kenyon College under Jim Steen and Jessen Book. During his time at Kenyon, the women’s team placed 4th in 2012, 2nd in 2013 and 2014 at the NCAA Championship meet. The men’s team placed 2nd and 1st – winning the 2013 and 2014 NCAA National Championships. Berg also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Kenyon Lords team.
Before coaching at Kenyon, Berg was a head coach for STAR Aquatics in Greensboro, North Carolina. During his professional career, he has coached at the United Stats Military Academy, Harvard University, Total Performance and Michigan Wolverine swim camps. He has coached 10 NCAA Individual National Champions, eight NCAA Relay National Championship teams, six NCAA record setting performers, and 56 North Coast Athletic Conference Champions. He helped six student-athletes achieve Post-Graduate Scholarships, in addition to numerous national and regional academic honors. He was also recently selected for the 2014 ASCA Fellows class.
Berg is a 2010 graduate of Boston University, where he was a four-year athletic scholarship recipient. He specialized in the 200 Freestyle, 200 IM, 100 and 200 backstrokes, while serving as the Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and becoming BU Athletics liaison to the Special Olympics in Massachusetts. He spent his final semester as a strength and conditioning coach at Harvard University aiding all athletic teams.
He holds a B.S. in Health Sciences from Boston University, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Berg also completed his M.S. in Sports Management from SUNY Cortland in 2013.
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