Kent Kirchner
The Woodlands High School
Impact Statement
“That’s what I was put here on this earth to do — to help as many people as I can through the sport of swimming.” -Kent Kirchner
Biography
Kirchner has been a Coach of the Year award winner both at the high school and college levels. His boys’ and girls’ teams at The Woodlands have combined to win four Class 5A state team titles. This year his girls team swept the district, regional and state championships, set a state record in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and set school records in eight of 12 events during the season.
The Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (TISCA) voted him back-to-back Girls’ Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and he is a three-time TISCA Coach of the Year. Kirchner also was the Summit League Coach of the Year at Southwest Missouri State University in 1982-83. His boys’ and girls’ teams finished No. 1 in the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) dual meet national rankings, and 112 of his swimmers have become NISCA All-Americans.
He holds the American Swimming Coaches Associations Level V Coaches Rating, which less than 5 per cent of U.S. swimming coaches attain. A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, Kirchner, a 1975 Cleveland State University graduate, was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1997.
Since being honored, Kirchner coached The Woodlands’ swim team until his retirement in 2017. Kirchner retired on a high note after the girls’ team won another State Championship.
Kirchner could only stay away from the pool for so long. As of January of 2019 he is back involved with SwimLabs, a swim school for all levels of swimmers.
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