Head swim coach brings ‘undeniable passion’ for sport

“To come back to my hometown and be a head coach is a lifelong opportunity,” says head swimming and diving coach Tim Loeffler.

Tim Loeffler will be the new head coach of the  men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, pending Board of Trustees approval.

Loeffler was an assistant coach at Army and Michigan State.

“We are excited to add Tim to our UIC family,” athletic director Jim Schmidt said.  “He brings championship-level experience and an undeniable passion for the sport. He has shown the ability to recruit top talent and has the respect of many professionals in college athletics.  I have no doubt that Tim will have our swim and dive programs competing for Horizon League titles very soon.”

Loeffler spent last season as an assistant coach at Army, where he helped the men’s team claim runner-up honors in the Patriot League Championships. He spent four years as the assistant coach at Michigan State, where he worked primarily with the middle distance and distance freestyle swimmers. Loeffler was the Spartan’s lead recruiter and director of summer camps.

“To come back to my hometown and be a head coach is a lifelong opportunity,” Loeffler said. “UIC is a university on the rise and I’m proud to now be a part of that. I want to help this program make a name for itself on the national scene.”

Loeffler helped the Spartans achieve tremendous success in the pool, guiding several athletes to the NCAA Championships.  In the winter of 2013, he helped MSU’s men’s team place fourth at the U.S. Nationals.

Loeffler was a two-year letter winner for Minnesota and  a member of its 2005 and 2007 Big Ten Championship squads.  He holds numerous Top-20 times for the Golden Gophers in the 1,000 and 1,650 free along with the 200 butterfly. He graduated from Minnesota in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in strategic and analytical communications. The Elmhurst native spent two years as a student assistant for Minnesota from 2007-09.