Rowan, Chikina Earn New Titles

Nebraska Swimming and Diving Head Coach Pablo Morales announced new titles for assistants Patrick Rowan and Natasha Chikina on Aug. 19.

Rowan moves from assistant coach to associate head coach, while Chikina's title shifted from assistant coach/diving coach to Nebraska's head diving coach.

"I am happy to make title changes for both Patrick and Natasha," Morales said. "The changes are reflective of the hard work and contributions they have made to the success of the program and more accurately depicts their roles on our team."

Chikina (chick-EE-nuh), a two-time Olympian, is entering her 12th season as Nebraska’s diving coach in 2016-17. Her coaching career at Nebraska followed a successful diving career at the University of Southern California.

Chikina has helped more than 30 Husker divers earn spots at the NCAA Zone diving meet, and in 2016 guided Anna Filipcic to All-America honors at the NCAA Championships.

Rowan, a former volunteer assistant for the Huskers and a long-time coach in the Nebraska Aquatics program, rejoined the Nebraska staff in 2012 after spending five years at Missouri. 

"Pat spearheads our recruiting efforts and directs our dryland, breaststroke and sprint groups, while Natasha has long led every aspect of the diving program," Morales said. "They both make strong contributions from an administration standpoint, and I have tapped into their knowledge and experience in matters that impact our program structure and philosophy.

"The timing for these changes is perfect as we reset the program following the conclusion of the Rio Olympic Games and devise our roadmap of success over the next quadrennium," Morales said. "I look forward to working side by side with Pat and Natasha as we strive for continued success at the Big Ten and NCAA championship levels over the next four years and prepare our student-athletes to compete successfully during the next Olympic campaign in 2020. At the same time, we are developing young women of strong character who will achieve success not only in the pool but also in life."  

A Nebraska native and Lincoln Southeast High School graduate, Rowan served as an assistant at Missouri from 2008 through 2012. Before heading to Missouri, Rowan served as a volunteer assistant on Morales’ Husker staff in 2006-07. Rowan assisted primarily with Nebraska’s breaststroke and individual medley swimmers.

A competitive swimmer from 1985 to 2001, Rowan swam collegiately at Eastern Michigan, helping EMU to a pair of Mid-American Conference championship teams. Individually, he was a 12-time finalist at the MAC Championships for the Eagles.

As a prep swimmer at Lincoln Southeast, Rowan was a two-time Nebraska Class A state champion and a member of a state championship team for the Knights. He was also a team captain and a seven-time Junior National qualifier.

Rowan, who earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Eastern Michigan in 2000, received his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in school and counseling psychology/sport psychology from Missouri in 2009. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with a similar emphasis in sport psychology.

He and his wife, Miranda, have a two daughters, Reese and Quinn, and a son, Luke.

A native of Kazakhstan, Chikina competed at the Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000) Summer Olympic Games. Chikina finished 15th at the Atlanta Games, before capturing a ninth-place finish on the 10-meter platform in Sydney. 

Between competitions, Chikina placed fourth at the 1998 NCAA Championships for the University of Southern California, where she earned NCAA All-America honors in 1997 and 1998. She was also the Pac-10 champion on the three-meter springboard in 1997 and 1998.

Chikina competed at the Goodwill Games (1994), the World Championships (1994-96) and the FINA Grand Prix (2000), placing as high as third in both the World Championships and FINA Grand Prix.

Following her diving career as an athlete, Chikina immediately began her quest to become a head diving coach. She was the assistant coach of the Trojan Diving Club from 1998 to 2001, coaching two Junior Olympic national champions, and the assistant diving coach at her alma mater, USC, in 1998-99, helping coach future Olympians Troy Dumais and Dorte Linder.

From 2001 to 2005, Chikina served as the assistant head coach at the U.S. Diving Regional Training Center where she took on many responsibilities. Primarily, she coached a two-time Oklahoma state high school champion, two Junior Olympic National Team members and four Junior Olympic National qualifiers. Among her other responsibilities, Chikina scouted, recruited and judged competitions up to the national level. She also scheduled team trips, camps and programs. Chikina coached at the 2003 U.S. Diving National Training Camp, instructing junior national-level athletes in the spotting belt, trampoline and dryboard.

Chikina earned her bachelor’s degree in social science and communications from USC in 1999, after completing her physical education and coaching degree from the Kazakh Institute of Physical Education in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 1996.

Natasha and her husband, Kris, have two daughters, Katerina and Sophia.