University of the Cumberlands Athletics

Career Highlights
- 15th Season
- 2x NAIA Coach of the Year (2013, 2018)
- 5x MSC Coach of the Year 
- 23x MSC Champions

Eric Skelly is entering his 15th season as head coach of the University of the Cumberlands Swimming programs. During his time with the Patriots, Skelly has earned numerous conference and national recognitions including 13 straight Mid-South Conference Championships on the women's side and nine conference titles on the men's side.  In addition to that he has helped guided the Patriots to a combined 16 top-five finishes at the NAIA National Championships.

Over the past 14 years the UC women’s swim team has seen tremendous success at the national level.  The Patriots have produced 346 CSCAA All-Americans, 12 individual NAIA National Champions, while their 400 medley relay team in 2019 became UC's first relay to capture a national title.  UC has earned eight top-five finishes at the national championships, including placing third four times, which is tied for the best finish in program history.  In 2013, Skelly guided the program to their first #1 ranking in the NAIA Coaches Poll and was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year. Skelly notched his second NAIA Coach of the Year Award in 2018 after his third place finish at Nationals.  Skelly has coach Mendy de Rooi, who was the NAIA Swimmer of the Year in 2019 and 2020, and Emma Lehmkuhl, who was named the NAIA Diver of the Year in 2023.  

The UC men’s swimming is coming off a third place finish at the 2024 NAIA National Championships. Under Coach Skelly, the men’s team has had five NAIA National Champions, 293 CSCAA All-Americans, the 2018 and 2019 NAIA Diver of the Year, and have set 18 new school records.

Since swimming became an official Mid-South Conference sport in 2015, Skelly has guided his women’s team to 31 straight MSC Titles, 136 first team all-conference selections, 10 MSC Swimmers of the year, and 5 MSC freshman of the year honors. The UC men’s team won the inaugural MSC Championships and have won seven straight Mid-South Conference titles beginning in 2019. In the time swimming & diving has been a championship sport, the Patriots have produced 140 first team all-conference as well as five MSC Swimmers of the Year and five MSC Freshman of the Year.  In addition, Skelly was named the Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 2016 for both men’s swimming and women’s swimming. He has garnered the MSC Men's Coach of the Year honor three times earning it in 2022 and 2023 as well, while he was named the 2023 MSC Women's Coach of the Year. 

In addition to the success that the program has had in the water, they have also excelled in the classroom.  Over the past 14 years the UC swim team has had 26 swimmers earn NAIA Scholar All-American Honors, 38 earn MSC Academic All-Conference Honors, and both the men’s and women’s team were named CSCAA Scholar Teams in each of the past four seasons.

Skelly was previously an assistant coach for the University of Nevada for the past three years. Before coaching the Wolf Pack, Skelly was an assistant coach at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. where he worked with the women and men's swim teams. He was the primary recruiter during his tenure at Valparaiso where he worked with the distance swimmers and individual medley specialists. In addition to coaching and recruiting he helped develop a comprehensive weight and dry land conditioning program.

Before coaching at Valparaiso, he spent three years as the assistant aquatics director and head age group coach at the Crawford Aquatic Center in Crawfordsville, Ind. where he worked with the Sugar Creek Swim Club. He coached several state champions and nationally ranked athletes of which 12 broke 17 team records. His coaching resume includes four years as the head age group coach for the Decatur Swim Club in Decatur, Illinois, a year as a volunteer assistant coach at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and a year as the head swimming coach and assistant aquatics director at the Shelby "Y" Community Center in Shelby, Ohio.

As a collegiate swimmer, Skelly competed for Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio from 1994-97. He helped Ashland reach NCAA Division II Championships four times during his career, earning top 10 finishes three times in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

He is certified American Swimming Coaches Association. Skelly received a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2005 and completed work on a master degree in sports administration in 2007 at Valparaiso. Eric and his wife Jennifer have two sons, Drake and Connor.

*Mid-South Conference Invite