Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton head football coach Jesse Scott has announced the promotion of Mikey Swider as assistant head coach for the Thunder football program. Swider has served as a Wheaton assistant coach at Wheaton since August of 2020, most recently serving as defensive coordinator since 2024.

Swider will remain as defensive coordinator for Thunder. In his two seasons in that role, Wheaton has produced four All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball and one CCIW Defensive Player of the Year.

Coach Scott says of the promotion, "Coach Swider has been a key part of our program's continued success during his time on staff. He brings great football insight, strong leadership, and a genuine investment in our players. This promotion is a reflection of the impact he has already had on our program and the confidence we have in the role he will continue to play moving forward."

A graduate of Wheaton, Swider earned his Bachelor's Degree in Communication in May of 2017. He played four seasons at linebacker for the Thunder football team, serving as a starter in his junior and senior seasons. He earned First Team All-CCIW recognition in both 2014 and 2015. As a junior in 2014 he was named to the D3football.com All-North Region Team and the following year he was a First Team All-Region selection by D3football.com. A two-sport standout at Wheaton, Swider was a three-year letterwinner for the Thunder wrestling team. He was a NCAA Division III All-American at the 197-pound weight class in 2016 and twice competed at the Division III Championships on the mat. Swider won CCIW Titles at 197-pounds in 2015 and 2016.