​Kevin Rapien

Kevin Rapien, a veteran collegiate coach with almost a decade of Division I experience, is in his second year as a USC men’s and women’s assistant coach.

Rapien arrived at USC after a year serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the California men’s swimming team – the Bears won the 2020 Pac-12 title – which followed seven years as an assistant coach for Cleveland State’s men’s and women’s teams.

Rapien, who assumed the acting head coach role at the end of the 2019 season, contributed to a program that won 40 conference titles (individual or relay races) during his tenure and one team championship.

He helped lead Cleveland State to one of the program’s top seasons in 2018 when the women’s squad finished third at the Horizon League Championships while the men were runners-up.

Among the top swimmers Rapien coached was 2018 Horizon League Women’s Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year Molly McNamara, who broke three school records at the league championships en route to a pair of butterfly titles. She also won the 200y fly in 2017.

In 2016, he helped Philipp Sikatzki finish fourth in the 100y fly at the NCAA Championships, the top result in program history. Sikatzki repeated as a 2017 NCAA qualifier in the event and was one of three CSU men who earned NCAA standards in eight events.

In 2013, Rapien helped Cleveland State to the Horizon League men’s title while the women were runners-up. Prior to arriving at Cleveland State, Rapien spent the two seasons as the head assistant swim coach at the University of North Dakota.

Rapien was a four-time letterwinner and team captain from 2005-2007 at Ashland University.