Dan Kesler joined the Sun Devils at the start of the 2011-12 season and is responsble for coaching the Sun Devil distance swimmers.
Kesler spent five years as the top assistant swimming coach at Wingate University overseeing the mid-distance and distance swimmers. In addition, he coordinated Wingate's recruiting efforts, created the team dry-land program as well as the D-group's lifting program. Kesler served on the Division II top 25 poll selection committee for the 2011-2012 season.
During his tenure, the Wingate men's team won 5-of-5 Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship titles. The Bulldog men posted four top-six finishes in the four NCAA Division II national championship meets prior to his departure. During Kesler's first season, the Wingate men were 11th at NCAA's and the women's top finish was 11th at NCAA's. All 19 records on both men's and women's teams were broken during his tenure at Wingate.
Wingate distance swimmer Iaroslav Denysenko was voted the 2012 NCAA Division II Swimmer of the Meet. He won three national titles in the 500, the 1000 and the 1650 Freestyle events and missed a fourth national crown by 0.02 seconds in the 200 Freestyle. Denysenko broke a 10-year-old NCAA Division II championship record in the 500 Free.
Following a stellar high school career, Kesler was a key member of the North Carolina State University Wolfpack swimming team. As a junior, he served as a team captain. During his collegiate swimming years at N.C. State, Kesler was an ACC finalist in the distance events. His college swimming career was capped by an NCAA provisional qualifying standard for the national swimming championships in the 1650 Free.
Kesler swam with the Green Terror Aquatic Club for eight years. While a member of the club, he started year-round swimming at the age of 10. In June of 2000, Kesler represented the Green Terror at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Ind. Before the Trials, Kesler qualified for the USA Senior National Championships. In addition, he was a championship finalist at numerous Junior National Championships.