The 2026-27 season will be the first for Eric Skelly as the Foresters' head swimming and diving coach and his 22nd as a coach at the collegiate level.
For the last 15 years Skelly was the head swimming and diving coach at University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. His women's team has claimed 14 consecutive Mid-South Conference titles while the men have made it a sweep in all but three of those seasons. Under Skelly's direction, Cumberland swimmers have been named All-MSC nearly 300 times and have combined for 17 MSC Swimmer of the Year and a dozen MSC Freshman of the Year awards.
Cumberlands was also extremely successful at the national level during Skelly's tenure. This year the Patriot men were the runners-up at the NAIA National Championship Meet while the women finished third. His men's and women's teams have placed among the top eight at every national meet since he became the program's head coach with a combined eight top-three finishes. Skelly's swimmers won four events at the 2026 NAIA Championships and have claimed 16 individual event titles, two NAIA Swimmer of the Year awards, and an NAIAÂ Diver of the Year honor with him as head coach.
Skelly's success over the years has led to several honors. He has been named MSC Men's Coach of the Year four times and earned the honor on the women's side twice. He was also named NAIA Women's Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2018.
Athletes at Cumberland were also successful in the classroom with Skelly as head coach with 26 Patriots being named College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-Americans and 38 being named Academic All-MSC. The Patriot men and women have earned CSCAA Scholar Team status each of the last four years.
Skelly's collegiate coaching career also includes three years as an assistant at the University of Nevada, Reno and three at Valparaiso University.
During his own collegiate career Skelly was a two-time All-American while competing for Ashland University and still ranks among the top 10Â in program history in both backstroke events. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration from University of Phoenix and a master's in sports administration from Valparaiso.
