Former Northern State University head coach Nicole Monanian joined Purdue women’s swimming as the Boilermakers’ assistant coach in June 2021. The 2023-24 school year will be her third season at Purdue.
Monanian joined the coaching staff at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center after four seasons as the leader of the women’s program at Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Over the last decade, she’s the third consecutive assistant with head-coaching experience that John Klinge has hired.
“I’m excited to welcome Nicole into our program and the Purdue Family at the pool,” Klinge says. “She brings valuable energy and experience with her. She thrived as an assistant and head coach at Northern State and it’s always a promising sign when coaches can handle a head job at a young age. I look forward to working side by side with Nicole here at Purdue.”
“I’d like to thanks Coach and the Purdue Family for this opportunity,” Monanian says. “I am excited to be part of a program that is elite in every aspect. I’m looking forward to getting on deck!”
Hannah Hill continued to climb the program record book as a sophomore in 2023, moving into third place in team history in the 50 freestyle (22.56) while winning the C final of the event at Big Tens. She posted Purdue's best time in the event in a decade. The next day, she teamed up with Maggie Love, Kendra Bowen and Kendal Schreder to post the Boilermakers' fourth-fastest time (1:30.74) in the 200 free relay. Again, it was the team's best mark in a decade. Kate Beavon's career best in the 1,000 free (9:47.32) moved her into third place in team history. Beavon went on win 5K open water medals at the South African Open Water Nationals (gold) and African Beach Games (silver) on here way to qualifying for the World Aquatics Championships.
Other highlights from the summer of 2023 included Masy Folcik's Olympic Trials cut in the 100-meter breaststroke, five event victories at the Indiana Senior State Championships and Hill's team record in the 50-meter freestyle (25.84, LCM) at USA Swimming TYR Pro Championships.
Purdue had at least one member of each academic class score in an individual event at the 2022 Big Ten Championships, including five freshmen. Hannah Hill eclipsed the Boilermakers' freshman record in the 50 free three times over the course of the season. Folcik (100 and 200 breast), Abby Harter (100 and 200 back), Lindsay Turner (200 fly) and Maggie Love (100 breast) all joined Hill as Boilermakers to move up inside the top 10 in team history in their premier events during Monanian's first season on deck.
At NSU, Monanian coached Hannah Kastigar to three NCAA Division II national titles and a berth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where Kastigar earned a second swim in the 400 individual medley at the Wave I portion of the meet this month. The Wolves also had Olympic Trials qualifiers from Canada and South Africa.
Monanian assembled the largest recruiting class in program history and that group helped the team post its top finish at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (in 2021) since the league expanded. The Wolves eclipsed four conference records in her four years as head coach. Meanwhile, at the DII NCAA Championships, NSU finished in the top 25 in 2018 and 2019.
Under Monanian’s guidance, Kastigar was an eight-time All-American and won DII national titles in the 400 IM (2017 and 2019) and 200 butterfly (2017). The two-time NSIC Swimmer of the Year was a seven-time conference champion, setting 13 program records during a breakout 2017 season.
Monanian was promoted from assistant to head coach at NSU in March 2017. In her first season as head coach, Edda Skoric won an NSIC title and NCAA bronze medal in the 200 backstroke.
Monanian swam collegiately at Providence College, where she was a two-time Big East All-Academic Team honoree and recognized as the program’s most improved swimmer as a sophomore. She was a three-year qualifier for the Big East Championships, graduating from Providence with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2013. She completed her master’s degree in sport performance and leadership at Northern State in 2017.
While in Aberdeen, Monanian established the Water Wolves swim lessons program and spent two seasons with the Aberdeen Stingrays Swim Club. The Stingrays won the South Dakota Long Course Championship in the summer of 2016 with numerous swimmers that went on to swim collegiately.
