Keegan Cook Named Head Volleyball Coach at Minnesota

University of Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announced today that Keegan Cook has been named head volleyball coach. The University and Cook have agreed to a five-year term, which is pending Board of Regents approval and the completion of a background check.

Cook will be the eighth full-time head coach and ninth individual to lead the Gophers, which first competed in 1972. However he will be just the third full-time head coach to lead the program since 1996, following Hugh McCutcheon (2012-22, 277-74 record) and Mike Hebert (1996-2010, 381-137 record). Laura Bush served as interim head coach in 2011.

Cook, 37, comes to Minnesota with more than 15 years of coaching experience, which includes the last eight as head coach at Washington. Cook has also coached at the high school, club and international level with USA volleyball.

“I am thrilled to welcome Keegan, his wife Sarah and their son, Oliver, to Minnesota,” said Coyle. “Keegan prioritizes a holistic coaching approach and has been successful at every stop on his journey. He has a proven record of success when it comes to recruiting, developing and coaching student-athletes, and he knows what it takes to compete for conference and national championships. Gopher volleyball is tremendously important to the Minnesota community, but it is also a national program that has an ever-expanding fan base and competes at an extremely high level. I know Keegan is ready to get to work, and I am looking forward to him leading the Gophers.”

At Washington, Cook replaced Jim McLaughlin who posted a record of 357-90 and was one of the most successful coaches – regardless of sport – in the school’s history. Cook served as an assistant coach for two years on McLaughlin’s staff before being named head coach of the Huskies in January 2015.

In eight seasons as Washington’s head coach, Cook led the Huskies to four Pac-12 Championships and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Washington advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight four times and the Final Four once. Cook posted an overall record of 198-56 at Washington and went 107-33 in conference play. He coached 12 different student-athletes to a combined 18 AVCA All-America honors and earned conference and region Coach of the Year laurels.

“It is an honor to lead a historic program in Minnesota and compete in the best conference in the nation in the Big Ten,” said Cook. “I want to thank President Joan Gabel, Director of Athletics Mark Coyle, Deputy Athletic Director Julie…