Millikin University Names Ed Pacey Head Swim Coach, Andrew Perry Triathlon Coach

Courtesy: Milliken Athletics

Millikin Athletics recently named assistant coaches Andrew Perry and Ed Pacey to head coaching positions within the department.

Pacey arrived just prior to the beginning of the swimming season, and he will take over the head coaching role for the men’s and women’s program while assisting with the women’s triathlon program.

Pacey came to Millikin after most recently coaching with top YMCA programs in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey and Cincinnati, Ohio. His teams were ranked among the top USA Swimming clubs in the nation, attaining USA Swimming Bronze Medal status in three of the past four years.  Coach Pacey has developed multiple YMCA individual and relay national champions and captured a YMCA Men’s Team National Title at the 2022 Long Course Championships.  In 2020, Pacey was recognized by the American Swim Coaches Association as one of the top 50 Age Group Coaches in the country.

Pacey’s prior experiences include over a decade of involvement at all levels of swimming in Illinois and Indiana including Learn to Swim lessons, US Masters, high school and club.  In addition to improving individual and team performance, Coach Pacey has consistently developed swimmers that go on to successful careers at all levels of collegiate swimming.
Coach Pacey is a native of Paxton, Illinois and holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He is a USA, YMCA and ASCA certified coach with extensive knowledge of athlete development and training of elite swimmers.

Perry previously served as the women’s triathlon and men’s and women’s swimming assistant coach, beginning in the fall of 2022. He will take over as the head coach of the triathlon program, while also serving as the assistant for the swimming program.

Perry was an integral part of Millikin Triathlon’s 3^rd place team finish and Aly Barnes’ 6^th place individual finish at the 2022 National Triathlon Championships in Tempe, AZ. During the season, he oversaw bike training and skills work, allowing the team to keep up with the physical and technical demands of draft-legal racing.

Perry came to the Big Blue after serving as the Assistant Triathlon Coach at Transylvania University. Andrew earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. While at the University of Kentucky, Perry competed in cross country before joining the Triathlon team where he eventually became President of the collegiate club program. He spearheaded recruitment for the team and was able to grow the team from 5 athletes to 20. He is a certified Triathlon Coach as well as a certified USA Masters Swimming Coach.