Evansville Hires Canaan Campbell as Swimming and Diving Head Coach
The University of Evansville on Thursday announced the hiring of Canaan Campbell as its new head swimming and diving coach.
Campbell replaces Toby Wilcox, who retired last week. He arrives after two years as an assistant at Tulane University. He’s also worked for four seasons as an assistant coach at Lindenwood and as a graduate assistant at Georgia Southern.
“I am honored to accept the position as head coach at the University of Evansville,” Campbell said in a university release. “This program has a storied history, and I look forward to building on the past successes of the previous staff and contributing to the rise of the Purple Aces Swimming and Diving program. The personal connection I have to this program makes this such an amazing opportunity to lead a program that my dad once headed up. I would like to thank Director of Athletics Dr. Ziggy Siegfried, Associate Athletics Director Kim Smith, and President Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz for this opportunity.”
Campbell swam at Missouri State, where he was a member of the Mid-American Conference Championship team and the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. His father, Clark Campbell, is the coach at Kansas and had coached at Evansville from 1998-2002.
“Canaan is an outstanding addition to our program and our department,” Director of Athletics Dr. Ziggy Siegfried said. “Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him and follow his success from a distance, and it has been clear that he brings a strong commitment to developing the total student-athlete. He is intentional about creating an environment where our student-athletes can thrive academically, athletically, and personally. That focus, combined with his energy and proven ability to build relationships, made him a great fit for the University of Evansville. We are excited to welcome Canaan and Kayley to the Aces community.”
Campbell helped Tulane win one American Athletic Conference individual title this year as well as a National Invitational Championship crown. The Green Wave placed third in the conference with six titles in 2025, Campbell part of the AAC’s Coaching Staff of the Year. Campbell helped Lindenwood’s men’s team to a pair of second-place finishes and its women’s squad to two third-place results in the Summit League as part of its transition from Division II to Division I.
Campbell hails from Lawrence, Kansas. A 2014 graduate of Lawrence Free State High, he’s a member of the College Swim Coaches Association of America and a certified USA Swimming Coach.
