Wherever Mandy Chun seems to go teams sprout up. Last year the energetic young coach got Maryville University’s women’s program off the ground. Just coaching the women wasn’t enough apparently as this year, she is undertaking the construction of Lindenwood University-Belleville. LU-B will begin fielding men’s and womens’ teams along with men’s and women’s hockey teams beginning next season.
The additions will bring Lindenwood – Belleville up to 29 sports and also strengthens the NAIA which expects to add at least two more teams (and possibly conferences) in the next year.
This past year Chun led Maryville a 7th place finish at the inaugural Great Lakes Valley Conference swimming and diving championships. Maryville amassed 94 team points and finished in seventh place to close out its first season of competition. The championship was held over four days in Crawfordsville, Ind.
Athletic Director Scott Spinner talked about the significance of these additions to the athletic department.
“By adding ice hockey and swimming and diving, it shows the commitment to having a high quality athletic department at Lindenwood – Belleville,” stated Spinner.
The university is in the process of finding a facility for both programs, and is currently looking at two or three different options.
Prior to Maryville, Chun has been the head boys and girls swimming and diving coach at Francis Howell High School. During her time there, she coached four Missouri state champions and led Francis Howell boys to a third-place finish and girls to a 16th-place finish at the state championship meet. Chun graduated from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
Chun has worked as an assistant swim coach and camp counselor at the University of Texas Swim Camp. At this camp Chun worked with campers of all ages and helped the campers develop proper stroke technique. While at the University of Texas Swim Camp, Chun worked with some of the top coaches in the country including Olympic head coach Eddie Reese and Olympic gold medalists Ian Crocker, Aaron Piersol, and Brendan Hanson. Chun also worked with former University of Georgia and SEC Championship coach Carol Capitani.
Chun is a 2008 graduate of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, where she was All – American honorable mention in the 800 freestyle relay. In this event Chun held the school record and was a three – time qualifier for the NAIA national championships. In 2007 and 2008 Chun was named team captain and in 2008 was awarded the Champion of Character Award. In 2004, while in high school, Chun helped Iolani win the Hawai’i state championships.
This release was provided to SwimSwam courtesy of Belleville Swimming and Diving.