VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota head men's and women's swimming and diving coach Jason Mahowald is pleased to announce the hiring of Chris Pape as the school's assistant coach in charge of diving ahead of the 2019-20 season.
 
Pape, who spent the previous six seasons as the diving coach at Lindenwood University, returns to South Dakota where he was a graduate assistant for two years while earning a master's degree in Kinesiology and Sport Science.
 
"I am very excited to return to The University of South Dakota and get to work with a program that has seen success," said Pape. "I look forward to working with all the talented athletes at USD and to continue the development of the program and the University."
 
In his six seasons at the St. Charles, Missouri, school, Pape coached 15 divers that qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships. Pape was named Co-Diving Coach of the Year this past season, the second time he was honored in six seasons.
 
Pape coached one season at NCAA Division III Augsburg prior to his stint at Lindenwood.
 
During his two-years at South Dakota, the Bismarck, North Dakota, native, coached nine conference finalists and numerous pool-record breaking performances.
 
"We are extremely excited to bring Chris back to USD," said Mahowald. "He has done a tremendous job of creating a championship culture at Lindenwood University, and we are confident that he will do the same here."