Wisconsin swimming and diving head coach Whitney Hite announced the addition of assistant coach Neil Caskey to the staff on Tuesday.
Caskey joins the Badgers as an assistant coach after most recently helping the UW program as a student manager. He also worked from 2013-14 as a swim coach for Lost Creek Aquatics Club and as a masters swim coach at Western Hills Athletic Club in Austin, Texas.
A two-time NCAA champion and eight-time All-American, Caskey swam at the University of Texas from 2008-12. As a team captain his senior season, Caskey helped guide the Longhorns to a runner-up team finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships. At the meet, Caskey won an NCAA title in the 800 freestyle relay and earned four other All-America honors: sixth in the 100 butterfly; tied for seventh in the 200 butterfly; fourth in the 200 medley relay; and third in the 400 medley relay.
“Neil is a great young man with a great personality who works hard. He also understands elite swimming through his experience at an elite program like Texas,” Hite said. “I’ve been really impressed with how Neil has picked up on so many things so quickly. He understands what it’s like to work within an elite program and gets that piece of things, which is something we’re really looking for and something important.”
In 2010, Caskey was part of the NCAA championship 800 freestyle relay team that helped the Longhorns win the team title at the 2010 NCAA Championships. An eight-time Big 12 champion, Caskey went out his senior season with conference crowns in the 200 butterfly, 800 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay.
Caskey ended his collegiate career as the school and Big 12 Conference record holder in the 200-yard butterfly. He swam and learned under longtime Texas head coach Eddie Reese.
“Being around a coach such as Eddie Reese and walking away from that program (Texas) with those resources and experiences is huge,” Hite said. “Being a school record holder himself, Neil is an elite swimmer who can bring those experiences to our group here.”
That experience also includes swimming at the world level. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Caskey finished 13th in the semifinals of the 200 butterfly while also swimming the 100 butterfly (17th), the 200 freestyle (20th) and the 100 freestyle (37th).
A member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2012, Caskey has also been a leader in his community as a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House since 2008 and with Marathon Kids from 2008-12.
“Most importantly, Neil is just a pleasure to be around,” Hite said. “He took a chance coming here last year and helping out the team in a limited role. He worked really hard, he’s got a great eye for swimming and now we’re pleased to have him joining our staff here at Wisconsin.”
A native of Houston, Caskey graduated from the University of Texas with a B.S. in Advertising in 2013. He is currently working towards his M.S. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
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