Patnode enters his fourth season as assistant coach at Illinois in 2025-26.
His third season (2024-25) was highlighted by leading Logan Kuehne to topple her own 50 freestyle school record (22.68) and Sydney Stoll, Kuehne, Isabella Wilhelm and Laurel Bludgen to a program record 200 freestyle relay time (1:30.91). He also aided Suvana Baskar, Kayla Duran, Kuehne and Wilhelm to break the 200 medley relay program record (1:37.96). Wilhelm didn't swim individually much in her freshman campaign, but under Patnode's guidance she was an impact swimmer on relays all season long. She was a part of seven program top-10 relay squads with two of those being school record teams.
In his sophomore campaign (2023-24) he coached Kuehne to break the program 50 freestyle record on a time of 22.79 while she also had the school's second-fastest 50 butterfly (24.51) and 100 IM (56.94). On the relay side he led each the 200 medley relay team (Suvana Baskar, Kylee Sessions, Kuehne, Lily Olson, 1:38.63) and the 400 medley relay team (Stoll, Sara Jass, Kuehne, Bludgen, 3:40.78) to program records times.
Patnode's first season (2022-23) saw him guide Kuehne to break the 50 butterfly school record swimming a time of 24.64 and Isabelle Guerra to swim the school's second-fastest 50 freestyle time (22.92). He led three relay squads to the top of their respective program leaderboards list. First, the 200 freestyle relay squad of Guerra, Kuehne, Olson and Athena Salafatinos (1:31.02). Both the 200 medley and 400 medley relay teams had their record breaking performances at the Big Ten Championships. The 200 medley relay team of Salafatinos, Kaleigh Haworth, Kuehne and Guerra swam 1:39.75 while the 400 medley relay team of Salafatinos, Haworth, Guerra and Olson swam 3:41.32
Prior to joining Illinois Patnode spent the 2021-22 season at The University of South Carolina alongside head coach Jeana Kempe. He was a volunteer assistant coach at Ohio State in 2020-21, helping the Buckeye women win the Big Ten title with 1,584 points, the most in conference history. Ohio State went on to place seventh at the NCAA Championships, OSU's highest finish in women's program history. The following week, the Buckeye men also placed seventh at the NCAA Championships, marking the team's highest finish at the national meet since 1965.
Prior to his stint at Ohio State, Patnode spent two years as a graduate assistant at Oakland University where he oversaw the team's sprint and middle-distance events. While at Oakland he helped the women's team win its 25th and 26th consecutive conference championships and the men's team win its 41st and 42nd consecutive conference titles.
Patnode also brings extensive strength and conditioning experience to Champaign. He assisted in training the women's team at South Carolina and served as a volunteer assistant at both Iowa as an undergraduate and Ohio State. While at Iowa, he implemented strength and conditioning programs for six varsity teams including swimming. With the Buckeyes, he helped execute strength and conditioning programs for 27 different men's and women's varsity teams including swimming and diving.
Patnode was a four-year member of the Iowa swimming team from 2013-17, serving as team captain as a senior. He also received the Jim Marshall Award in 2017, presented annually to a male senior who contributes to the Hawkeyes to the best of his athletic ability.
Patnode is from Oak Park, Illinois. He swam at Oak Park-River Forest High School, earning All-State honors as a senior after finishing fourth in the 100-yard back and ninth in the 100-yard butterfly at the 2013 IHSA meet.
Patnode earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in health and human physiology (exercise science emphasis) with a minor in human relations.
