Hired on April 1, 2007, Paul Schiffel became Lenoir-Rhyne's first-ever Women's Swimming Coach and took over the men's program when it came on board three years later.
Schiffel has coached 10 All-Bluegrass Mountain Conference honorees and the program's first-ever NCAA Division II All-American in Chelsea Kyle in 2012 (women's 200-yard butterfly). In back-to-back seasons, Schiffel coached swimmers to All-American status in 2020 and 2021. Freshman Micah McRea became the first male All-American in program history in 2020 and followed that up in 2021 and 2022. Lisa Boernigen was also named an All-American in 2021.
After 13 seasons, the Bears have showed marked improvement and should be a contender for the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship in the near future.
Schiffel currently serves as the Owner and Coach of the Catawba Valley Aquatics Club and had been the Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s Swimming Teams at St. Stephens High School from its inception in 1992 and lasting 15 years.
Schiffel also served as the Head Coach of the Hickory Seahorse Swim Team (1978-84 and 1986-89) and coached a swimmer who later became a two-time NCAA Division II All-American (2000 and 2002).
In the 1980s, Schiffel coached several swimmers who qualified for the Olympic Trials and United States Senior Nationals.
Several team accomplishments for Schiffel were the 1985 NCS Short Course Age Group Championship and St. Stephens’ second-place finish in the NCHSAA Championship in 2006.
In May of 2016, Schiffel was inducted into the prestigious Catawba County Sports Hall Of Fame.
Schiffel graduated from East Carolina University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and earned his master’s degree in education from ECU in 1981 as well.
Schiffel, a member of the East Carolina Men’s Swimming Team, earned Team MVP honors as a junior and served as an assistant coach for the Pirates from 1975 to 1978.
Schiffel is a retired Physical Education Teacher at St. Stephens Elementary School in Hickory, N.C.
Â
