Biola University Athletics

Nate Harding took over the reins of the Biola men's and women's swimming and diving programs in August 2021. The 2026-27 school year is his sixth as the Eagles' head coach. Harding previously served as a Biola assistant coach during the 2018-19 season.

Head Coaching Record

Team finish at the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC) Championships. Bold = conference champion. *Competed at the NCAA Division II diving qualification meet.

Championship Results

Coaching Highlights at Biola

• Back-to-back PCSC Men's Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year (2022-23, 2023-24), also named PCSC Swim Coach of the Meet both years
• Guided the men to back-to-back PCSC championships (2023, 2024)
• Coached 37 individual and 3 relay PCSC event titles
• Coached 9 NCAA Division II Championships qualifiers (12 appearances) and his first All-American at Biola, Samuel Slezak
• Coached 6 PCSC Diver of the Meet awards (three divers)
• 20 CSCAA Scholar All-America Team honors (both teams, every semester since fall 2021) and 21 individual CSCAA Scholar All-America honors

Through the Years

2025-26 The men placed second and the women third at the PCSC Championships. The men swept the podium in both the 1000 and 1650 freestyle, led by Josh Peace, who won both races, and Nathan Griffin won the 100 and 200 backstroke for the third straight year. Caleb Pook won both diving boards to earn his third PCSC Diver of the Meet award, and a program-record four Biola divers competed at the NCAA Division II diving qualification meet. The Eagles set relay records on both sides, and the women posted a 3.75 team GPA in the spring, the best of Harding's tenure.

2024-25 The men finished second and the women fourth at the PCSC Championships. Samuel Slezak won the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle and went on to earn Second Team All-America honors at the NCAA Division II Championships with a 10th-place finish and school record in the 1000 freestyle, as he and Josh Peace became Biola's first men's swimmers at NCAA Division II nationals. Divers Sebastian Burgos and Lorelai Carney each won both boards and earned Diver of the Meet honors, with Carney qualifying for NCAAs for the second straight year, and Nathan Griffin won the 100 and 200 backstroke.

2023-24 The 2023-24 season saw continued success for the Eagles. The men's squad earned its second-consecutive conference crown with a convincing performance at the PCSC Championships. The team pulled in eight individual championships, while also tallying seven silver and four bronze medals. The women's squad moved into second place at the conference championships, finishing just barely out of the top spot. The Eagles matched the lead team with six golds, including a brilliant performance from Allison Yancey with two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals.

2022-23 The BU men cashed in for their first conference championship under Harding's leadership at the culmination of the 2022-23 season. The team littered the podium throughout with eight championships, six individual and two relays. Caleb Pook shined for the Eagles, breaking multiple diving records and being the first Biola men's swim and dive athlete to advance to NCAA DII Nationals competition.

2021-22 In the 2021-22 year, the men's and women's swimming and diving programs saw success under Harding's new leadership. The men's swim team closed off the 2021-22 season with their third-consecutive top-three team finish at the PCSC Championships. BU totaled 16 podium finishes at the PCSC Championships, bringing home one gold, five silver, and 10 bronze medals, with Jacob Haaksma winning the 200 IM.

Individually, the Eagles had five swimmers finish in the top-25. Jacob Haaksma and Gabe Weber led the charge with fifth and seventh place finishes. Haaksma also broke a school record at the conference championships with a speedy 57.05 finish in the 100 Yard Breaststroke.

Meanwhile, the women's squad took off in the pool for an impressive 2021-22 season. BU pushed forward into fourth place at the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships. The team pulled together five podium finishes in Utah, including one gold, three silver and one bronze.

Grace Kling and Liza Parahnevich paced the Eagles at the conference championships, tallying 83 and 81 points, respectively. Kling picked up the women's lone event win by storming past the field for the 200 breaststroke crown. The Brea, California native carried on to compete in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the end of the season. The second-year swimmer battled it out in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, taking 31st and 21st, respectively.

As a Biola Assistant Coach (2018-19)

As an assistant coach under Ryan Kauth in 2018-19, Harding helped the Eagles break eight school records, with the men placing fourth and the women eighth at the PCSC Championships. Clayton Owens (200 backstroke) and Jonathan Villa (200 butterfly) won PCSC titles that season.

Coaching Experience

Prior to returning to Biola in the summer of 2021, Harding spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Redlands' Bulldogs in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). While at the University of Redlands, Harding coached the Bulldogs to five new school records, an individual SCIAC champion, and two NCAA qualifiers.

Harding also served as an assistant coach at nationally-ranked Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in 2016-18, where he helped produce 16 NCAA DIII qualifiers and an NCAA champion.

Harding is no stranger to success at the collegiate or high school level. Prior to his collegiate coaching experience, Harding was a successful coach at Claremont High School as well as Carter High School in Rialto, California. Harding has also served as an assistant swim coach with Mt. Baldy Aquatics in Claremont, California.

Personal

Harding completed his Master of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in sports performance at Louisiana Tech University in 2011. He earned his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in sports management from Grambling State University.

Off the pool deck, Nate resides in Buena Park with his wife, Joneese, daughter, Ezriela, and dog, MidKnight.