Get to Know: Scott Whitbeck
The talented administrators, coaches and staff working at our member institutions help to make the Empire 8 Conference successful. And the Get to Know Feature is a way for fans to get a better idea of who these individuals are.
Scott Whitbeck is the head swimming and diving coach at Nazareth College.
Where did you attend college? What was your major? Where you a student-athlete? I swam four years for Kalamazoo College in Michigan and was an economics and business major with a minor in psychology.
What made you chose to attend the Kalamazoo? Swimming was a big factor. But it was a small school with a beautiful campus and ideal location.
How long have you been working at your Nazareth? Since May of 2016.
What interested you and brought you to Nazareth? My wife’s family is from around Rochester so when the position opened we agreed to look at the job. And Nazareth has a lot of features that were similar to my undergrad experience and I liked all the people I met on my interview and I was excited to see what I could accomplish with the team.
What is the best thing about the Campus? The community feel and the ability to work with people on campus to make it a good experience for the students.
When you hear “Nazareth” what is the first word that comes to mind? Community
Who has been the most influential person during your career? Why? My friend Jake Taber, who is the head coach at Albion College. He swam at Hope College, which was a rival to Kalamazoo. We became assistant coaches and are now both head coaches. We share workouts, talk about our programs and shoot ideas off of each other which has really helped me develop over the years.
What do you do in your spare time? Spend time with my one-year old son, follow the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings and try to stay in shape.
Top 3 things on your bucket list? 1.) Travel, especially take my son to Madrid. 2.) Compete in an Iron Man triathlon 3.) See the Tigers win the world series.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I have an identical twin brother, so I want people to call me by my first name rather than coach due to people getting me confused with my twin growing up.
Rapid Fire questions
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite band/musician: Dave Matthews
Favorite Movie: Braveheart or Gladiator
Favorite Book: The Wheel of Times series by Robert Jordan
Favorite place to visit: Parent’s lake house
Can’t live without: Working out for a mental break from coaching
Pet Peeve(s): People on their phones not paying attention.