Romeoville, Ill. - After a decorated career in the pool with the Flyers from 2007-11, former Lewis University men's swimmer Kevin Coates was named to the Lewis Athletics Hall of Fame. Coates is also the first male or female Lewis swimmer to be inducted to the Lewis Athletics Hall of Fame.
"I want to thank/express my gratitude for Lewis University and NCAA Division II sports" said Coates. "They gave me the opportunity to get a great education in the field I wanted to go into while being able to fully participate in a sport that I loved. It also helped me become a better leader which has led me down a successful professional career."
While with Lewis, Coates was a seven-time All-American and three-time honorable mention All-American. A two-time national swimmer of the week with Lewis, Coates held three different schools records with his record in the 1650 yard freestyle still up today.
Along with his All-American accolades, Coates was named the 2008 GLIAC Freshman of the Year and 2010 GLIAC Swimmer of the Year while winning seven individual GLIAC Championships in the pool.
After his swimming career, Coates was able to take his radio/tv broadcasting degree and work his way up the chain to become the department manager at WDRB TV in Louisville, Kentucky. He currently resides in the Bluegrass State with his wife Shelby and daughter Rory.
Lewis athletics is also set to host its annual Flyer Red Dinner at the Bolingbrook Golf and Country Club on January 28
th with the event starting at 6 p.m. The dinner serves as a fundraising event to benefit Flyer Athletics and its teams while also recognizing the 2026 Lewis Athletics Hall of Fame class.
To register for the event, use the link at the top of the article. For more information about the event, please reach out to associate athletic director for development
Tyler Mitchell tmichell7@lewisu.edu or call at 815-836-5888.
For the latest news and updates on Lewis athletics, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @golewisflyers on Instagram and @LewisFlyers on X.
