The journey between Fort Wayne, Ind. and Bartlesville takes less than 12 hours to drive.

But there is no roadmap that charts the course to one’s destiny. 

One might have to cross uncharted mountains of doubts, weave hesitantly through seemingly endless stretches of twisting curves of confusion, and endure bleak interminable desert highways whose ribbon of asphalt seems to extend all the way to eternity with nothing in-between.

It would be wrong to say Chad Englehart has found his entire destiny in Bartlesville. After all, the native of Fort Wayne is still a young man and the future is only known after it happens.

But, whether Englehart is in Bartlesville another year or another 30 years, one thing is for certain — his arrival and presence has coincided with a new era of glory and success in local swimming.

As recognition of the impact of this unique coach, he has been named as the 2023-24 Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Swim Coach of the Year for the entire state. He will be formally recognized on Nov. 13 by the OSSAA at its board meeting in Oklahoma City.

“Chad does a great job for us,” said Bartlesville High School Athletic/Activities Director Thad Dilbeck. “He has great experience … he does an excellent job building relationships with kids.”

Englehart also excels in developing talent, especially when those who start swimming at a younger age and to get them to buy into what it takes to be a successful competitor, Dilbeck said.

He also praised the academic performance of Englehart’s swimmers.

Last spring, Englehart guided Bartlesville High School swim teams to sparkling accolades.

The Lady Bruins won the Class 6A state girls championship; the short-handed Bruins rose to second place in the 6A boys championship meet.

Englehart is thrilled by the OSSAA honor — but not for himself.

“I was really surprised and honored,” he said. “My girls and boys had a great year and swam well. … I was blessed with a group of kids that bought in and worked hard. … It’s a wonderful way but it’s really an award for the kids. They don’t put me in a suit. I don’t wear goggles. I don’t get in the block and dive in the pool. … They do all the work every day. They do all the races.”

Englehart arrived on the local scene a decade ago, beginning sometime in the summer or fall of 2014 as the Bartlesville Splash Club/Bartlesville High School head coach.

Although generally successful — especially on individual levels — throughout the years previous to his arrival, the program took a significant step up after he took charge.

The achievements the past decade are nearly mind-boggling.

In his first 10 seasons Bartlesville High won seven state championships — six by the girls (2015-19, 2024) and one by the boys (2018).

Prior to Englehart relocating to Bartlesville, the boys’ swim team hadn’t won the state title since 1990; the girls hadn’t brought home the big prize since 1997.

It has to be noted that during one of the girls’ runs to the state crown they competed with only five girls at state — compared to teams that boasted 10-or-significantly more athletes.

As far as the competitive (Splash Club) realm, Englehart and his staff have helped honed some magnificent talents — including three that competed in the United States Olympic Swim Trials — Kyle Ward, Haley Downey and Kate Steward.

Several of his former high school and Splash Club warriors went on to record high-level college pool careers. Not too many years ago, the University of Kansas Swim team featured four former Lady Bruins all at once (Downey, Greta Olsen, Steward and Erin Downey).

There are literally too many other highlights from the Englehart Era of fulfillments related to the swimming side to try to list.

But for Englehart, only part of his reward deals with what happens between the waves.

His greatest focus has been the overall success of his athletes.

He listed some of the activities of his recent athletes that have made him proudest:

— Reagan Patzkowski studying at the School of Engineering at Purdue University.

— Julie Vilardo studying in the School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas.

— Emma Howze studying in the School of Interior Design at Oklahoma State.

— Cody Lay pursuing his studies at the Merchant Marine Academy in New York and also competing for its boys swimming team.

— Griffin Craig beginning his pre-med studies and swimming at the University of Missouri.

— Tristan Weaver attending Indiana Wesleyan University and competing for the women’s swim squad.

“It’s just great to see these kids come to the program as children, become the tops in their schools academically and to go on to be very successful,” he said. “

Despite the hectic, time-consuming schedule with both early-morning and afternoon practices, Englehart enjoys working with the swim athletes.

“We’re off to a good start this year,” he added. “These kids are leaders in the community and leaders in the classroom. They are easy to coach.”

Englehart has given and demanded strong commitment since he first arrived in Bartlesville.

“I thought he was very motivational when he came in,” said Susan Steward, whose daughter Kate was a freshman on the 2014-15 girls championship team, Englehart’s first at Bartlesville. 

“He upped the conditioning big time for the kids,” Susan continued. “He gave them a lot of confidence. Soon, they were swimming better than they had ever swam before.”

By the state meet of 2015, “the kids had gotten so much stronger emotionally and so much more muscular you could tell,” Steward said.

Englehart treated his athletes the same — from the most powerful stars down the line, she continued.

“He had been a really good swimmer and he understood the ups and downs of the sport,” she said. “His main focus on the kids was effort. If you showed good effort and did your best he was happy with that. … He was equally happy and thrilled about the kids that didn’t quite have the recognition that the higher-tiered kids had. … He didn’t ignore the kid who were ‘moneymakers.’”

As a young swimmer, Englehart disciplined himself to maximize his potential and eventually joined the University of Kansas team as a walk-on.

He experienced no shortage of adversity but rose to his challenges.

After college, he coached several years in Fort Wayne and created an honored image. He garnered several major honors from his work in Indiana and several weeks ago was inducted into the Indiana Swimming Hall of Fame.

Englehart’s platinum reputation in Indiana helped bring his name to the front in 2014 when the Splash Club started a search for a new head coach.

Destiny then brought together the Hoosier and Bartlesville and a new epoch in local swimming.

Susan Steward summed it up thus: “We’re very lucky to have him.”