Ex-COW swim coach Beckett named to CSCAA Hall of Fame
Keith Beckett, center, a 19-year swim coach at The College of Wooster, has been selected for the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Division III Hall of Fame as a coach.
Keith Beckett, who led The College of Wooster’s swimming and diving program to 15 top 20 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships including fifth-place women’s showing in 1986, 1987 and 2003, has been selected for the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Div. III Hall of Fame as a coach. The induction ceremony will take place May 5, 2025, at the CSCAA annual awards celebration in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Beckett’s 19-year run as coach from 1984-2003 saw the women turn in a 142-22-1 record in dual meets. On the men’s side, Wooster went 111-51 and scored at seven national championships. Individually, Brooke Henderson won the national championship in the 50 freestyle in 1989, and 12 runner-up finishes were logged by the Fighting Scots at the NCAA Championships. Under Beckett’s watch, 182 All-America honors were earned by the Scots.
Outside of Wooster, Beckett served as co-chair for deck control and logistics for the 2021 and 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, was the meet coordinator or meet director for 25 years for the NCAA Div. III Championships, served a three-year term as meet coordinator for the AAU Junior Olympics, and served on the NCAA Rules and Championships Committee. Beckett was the swimming and diving national chair in 2001-02.
Beckett transitioned to Wooster’s director of physical education, athletics and recreation in 2003 and served in that role for 16 years before retiring. Wooster’s 23 varsity teams won 35 North Coast Athletic Conference championships during Beckett’s tenure, and the Scots placed second in the NCAC’s all-sports standings in his final year in the athletic director chair.
Wooster opened the Scot Center under Beckett’s watch, and the Armington Physical Education Center, which houses Timken Gymnasium and Timken Natatorium, underwent a two-phase renovation. An artificial surface was added to the infield at Art Murray Field and John P. Papp Stadium, lights were added at the stadium, Swigart Strength Center was renovated in 2012, and press boxes were added at Carl Dale Field and Galpin Park.
Ten Scots earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships with Beckett as athletic director including three during the 2017-18 academic year when Wooster finished fifth nationally in total recipients.
Beckett served a term on the NCAA Div. III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, presented on numerous topics at athletic administration conventions, and was a consultant for the American University in Cairo.
At the conference level, Beckett served a term as chair of the conference’s athletic directors, served as a NCAC sport liaison, was part of the committee on sportsmanship and positive fan behavior, the conference marketing and branding review committee, was a mentor in the Branch Rickey program, and was a leader in the promotion, development and application of statements and initiatives for enhanced inclusivity.