Dave Denly has been named athletic director at Southwestern College, and will take over his new duties on July 1. He recently completed his 11th year as head women’s basketball coach at the college, and will continue with his coaching duties. He also was assistant men’s basketball coach for two years, and is completing his third year as assistant athletic director.
            “In the past 13 years Southwestern has become a vital part of my life and my family’s life, and I am looking forward to seeing our athletic department and Southwestern continuing to grow in a positive manner for the Winfield community,” Denly says. “It is an exciting time to be taking on this position. The new stadium project will have an impact not only the Southwestern campus but on the entire town.”
            Denly replaces Mike Kirkland, who has chosen to return to full-time coaching at the college.
            “Dave values the right things,” says SC President Dick Merriman.  “His players do well academically, they are involved in all aspects of the college’s life and are positive contributors in the community, and, of course, they win a lot.  Those things can go together; you don’t have to choose one or the other.  Dave’s example and his experience will, I believe, make him an effective leader for our athletic program.”
            During his 11 years as head women’s basketball coach Denly has built one of the college’s most successful athletic programs. His overall career record as head coach is 206-122, including three consecutive 20-win seasons, and school records in overall wins and conference wins (15). He has coached 20 KCAC all-conference players, 26 academic all-Americans, 40 academic all-KCAC athletes, five NAIA all-American players, and three KCAC Players of the Year.
            Denly’s teams feature an up-tempo, aggressive style that has enabled the Lady Builders to finish no lower than fourth in every season competing in conference play.
            “I wasn’t interested in the athletic director’s position unless I could continue coaching,” he says. “Obviously I’ll have to adjust some of my priorities as far as time spent on the road recruiting, but I have great assistants in Jack McNickle and Jason VenJohn, and I’m confident in our ability to make the transition smoothly.”
            Denly came to Southwestern College from the business world. Before starting his coaching career, he was working as a pricing accountant at Pella Windows, Inc., in Pella, Iowa. He graduated from Wartburg (Iowa) College where he was the sixth man on a team that, during his varsity career, won two conference championships and qualified for the NCAA national tournament in both of those seasons.
            His coaching career began when college teammate Brad Horstmann was hired as head coach of Southwestern’s men’s team and recruited Denly and current Builder head men’s coach Doug Hall as his assistants.
            Dave and Sara (Peterson) Denly live in Winfield. Originally from Herington, Sara graduated from SC in 2000 and is a registered nurse at Newton Memorial Hospital. They have a son, Ben, 4, and a daughter, Abegale, 3.