Natatorium lobby named for beloved Grinnell swimming and diving coach
September 30, 2026 — When longtime Grinnell College swimming and diving coach Erin Hurley gave recruits a tour of the Natatorium, they would first enter through the building’s lobby.
“That’s because one of my favorite things to do was to have them step into the balcony and look down at the pool,” Hurley says. “Their first response was ‘Wow’ or ‘oh my gosh’. It’s really fun to see them experience what a gorgeous natatorium it is from upstairs. And the lobby serves as a great entryway as well as an event space.”
From now on when prospective and current students visit the Natatorium, they will enter through the Coach Erin Hurley Natatorium Lobby. The lobby was dedicated in Hurley’s honor during a reception Friday as part of the 2026 Athletics Reunion. Many of Hurley’s former swimmers and divers were in attendance.
A large contingent of Pioneer alumni and current swimmers and divers along with parents, faculty, staff, and friends cheer on Erin Hurley at the lobby dedication.
“I’m very grateful even though my initial reaction was ‘Oh no. I’m not super comfortable with that type of spotlight,’” Hurley says. “When I learned how it came to be and the idea started to settle in, I was extremely honored.”
The naming idea came from a former swimmer, Enya Gamble ’22, who mentioned it to her teammate Sean Hopkins ’22. They brought the idea to Sean’s parents, Tom Hopkins and Sandy Kaneoka, who made a leadership gift to kickoff fundraising for the project.
“Erin shaped so many people’s lives,” says Gamble who is an investment consultant in Philadelphia and teaches children how to swim. “I think of her a lot when I think about who I am today and how I’m approaching different things or being a team player. I thought it would be cool if the College had something that spoke to the impact that she had on so many people.”
Kaneoka says she and Hopkins thought the lobby dedication was a fantastic idea.
“When I think about Sean’s college experience, I can’t help but think about Erin and her impact and how thankful we are that Sean was able to swim on the team and make friends that he still keeps in touch with today,” Kaneoka says. “Everyone that had a relationship with Erin, I’m sure they feel the same way. Dedicating the lobby to her was a great idea to give back a fraction of what she gave to so many swimmers.”
Tom Hopkins, left, Sandy Kaneoka, Sean Hopkins ’22, Hurley, Enya Gamble ’22, and Camarin Madigan ’00 pose for a photo at Friday’s reception honoring Hurley.
The idea quickly took off in the Grinnell swimming community. Sparked by outreach from Camarin Madigan ’00 and other alums, over 160 Grinnell alums, parents, and friends contributed to the naming effort. The funds are being used to create a programmatic endowment, supporting the swimming and diving program in many different ways, such as team experiences, personal/leadership development, travel, equipment needs, and material needs and opportunities.
“I tried to respond to everyone that donated, including reconnecting with some people that I haven’t seen in 20 or more years,” Hurley says. “I think that it speaks volumes to the community we have at Grinnell, the alums, friends, and family that want to support student experiences. It’s been very touching hearing people reflecting back on their experience and really wanting that to carry through for the current and future students at Grinnell.”
During her coaching tenure, Hurley used the Natatorium lobby for many team and alumni gatherings.
“We would have dinners in that lobby space,” she says. “We had auctions there. We had our end of season celebration banquet in that space. We did yoga up there when the multipurpose room was in use. We’ve had swimming camp registrations and autograph signings there. In many ways it’s the gateway to the program.”
A 1989 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Hurley had a successful career as a collegiate swimmer. After brief coaching stops at other schools, she was hired as Grinnell’s head coach in 1995, a position she held until her retirement in 2023.
Hurley caught up with many former swimmers, including Hayley Levin ’16, who was inducted into the Grinnell College Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday.
In her 28 seasons leading the Pioneers, Hurley’s team won an astounding 39 Midwest Conference titles (21 women’s championships and 18 men’s). She coached 264 conference champions, and her swimmers were named All-Americans on 21 occasions and won Midwest Conference Swimmers of the Year 23 times.
Hurley was a part of school history in 2013 when Michael Brus ’14 became the first-ever Pioneer to win an NCAA Division III National swimming championship. She also coached Joshua Tibatemwa ’19 who swam for Uganda in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Hurley pictured in the
Nov. 10, 1995 S&B.
She was named MWC Coach of the Year 21 times and won the prestigious Richard E. Steadman Award, which is presented to a coach who did the most to spread happiness in swimming.
Why was Hurley so successful? She says there are several reasons.
“I’m a little competitive,” she says while laughing. “Not so much anymore. I certainly was as a coach. At the same time, one of the things that was important to me was the balance of being competitive and striving individually and collectively for something beyond what you ever thought while still doing other things at Grinnell.”
Hurley views swimming as an individual sport within a team concept. “In the truest form of competition, you are not only elevating yourself, but you’re elevating someone else. You are rising together to bring out the best in both of you. Our teams over the years have been able to do that.”
Hurley also notes that when she came to Grinnell in 1995, former coach Ray Obermiller had experienced tremendous success with the swim teams. “There already was a robust group of alums who wanted that type of excellence to continue. I had a lot of support,” she says.
Gamble says as a coach Hurley had equal measures of grit and compassion.
“She understood each of us to our core and knew how to coach everyone slightly differently,” she says. “Coach Hurley really pushed everyone athletically, without anyone feeling burned out. It showed in the results that she was really good at what she was doing.”
Sean Hopkins, who is pursing his MBA from USC, agreed.
“She’s very nice, but she would also challenge you and hold you accountable,” he says. “Even during my recruiting visit, I could tell she brought a magical feeling to this place. She did a really good job leading this multi-generational family she’s built with the swim team.”
—by Jeremy Shapiro