Rickey Perkins enters his third season as the head coach of the University of Sioux Falls swimming program in 2026-27 after being named the program's head coach on May 2, 2024.
Perkins completed his second season at the helm in 2025-26, guiding the Cougars to a third-place finish at the NSIC Championships and a No. 43 national ranking in NCAA Division II. Under his leadership, Alessia Moro captured three individual NSIC titles in the 500-, 1,000-, and 1,650-yard freestyle events, while Charlotte Gibbs and Irene Paris combined for multiple podium finishes at the conference meet.
The Cougars also excelled in the classroom under Perkins' leadership. USF earned four NSIC Team of Excellence honors, three NSIC All-Academic Team selections, four CSC Academic All-District honors, and a CorTrust Scholar-Athlete recognition for Charlotte Gibbs.
A five-time NCAA Division I Conference Coach of the Year, Perkins arrived at Sioux Falls following a successful tenure at Bowling Green State University. During his time with the Falcons, he coached multiple NCAA Championship qualifiers, 10 Mid-American Conference champions, seven All-MAC performers, and a three-time MAC Diver of the Year. His teams also produced 107 MAC All-Academic honorees, two Scholar All-Americans, and earned CSCAA Scholar Team recognition.
Prior to Bowling Green, Perkins spent 16 seasons as the head men's and women's swimming coach at the University of Evansville. A five-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, he coached 13 MVC individual champions, 70 All-Conference selections, 16 All-Americans, four Academic All-Americans, and 95 MVC All-Scholar athletes while overseeing the breaking of more than 30 school records.
Perkins also served as head assistant coach, recruiting coordinator, and academic coach at the University of Washington for three seasons. Before Washington, he was the national coach for the Barracuda Swim Club in Nassau, Bahamas, where he worked with competitive age-group swimmers and the Bahamas National Team, helping set seven meet records and guiding the program to its highest-ever finish at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships.
Perkins began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he coached from 1994-98 and helped lead the Seawolves to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships.
A native of Midland, Texas, Perkins graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1991 with a degree in physical education. He currently resides in Sioux Falls with his wife, Delores.
USF Records and Accomplishments
- 3 NSIC individual conference champions
- 11 All-NSIC performances
- 4 CSC Academic All-District selections
- 1 CorTrust Scholar-Athlete honoree
- 7 NSIC All-Academic Team honorees
- 7 NSIC Team of Excellence selections
- 1 NCAA Division II Top-50 national ranking
- Third-place finish at the 2026 NSIC Championships
Updated 6/17/2026
