The University of Idaho Swim and Dive team is excited to welcome former Vandal swimmer Kelsie Saxe back to the program as the new assistant coach for the team. Saxe will start working with the team right away and will be ready for the start of the 2015-16 season.
“I’m excited to be back in Moscow and to be back with my Vandal family,” Saxe said. “It’s an interesting role shift from being a student athlete to assistant coach but it’s something I’m excited about because I have the opportunity to be at the University of Idaho and to be a Vandal and that’s what I’m really passionate about and I look forward to it all.”
Originally from Verong, Wis., Saxe joined the Vandal swim team in 2009 and was a big part of the swim team during her time at Idaho. She at one point held the record for the fastest 100 and 200 breaststroke in school history as well as being a member on multiple record breaking relay teams.
After she graduated from the University of Idaho, Saxe traveled to the University of Tennessee where she earned a master’s degree in Recreation and Sports Management. While attending school there, she was a graduate assistant as a mentor in the Athletic Department and was a manager for the swim team at Tennessee.
“She’s a perfect fit,” Coach Mark Sowa said. “Kelsie is a second generation Vandal, her father went here and then she spent four years here on the team. I was lucky enough to work with her during her last two years here. Her love for being a Vandal was so evident. Her skill set is off the charts and her knowledge of the school is of the charts. It feels like homecoming.”
Saxe is excited to be back in Moscow and is excited about what is ahead of her as she starts her career as a coach.
“I want us to be the best team we can be and get better every day,” Saxe said. “If we focus on what is controllable today instead of what is uncontrollable tomorrow then we will be a fantastic team. I’m really looking forward to working with the team and continue to learn from Coach Sowa and we will see where we can go this season and in the future.”
Swimming news courtesy of Idaho Swimming & Diving.
I’m so excited for Kelsy. She is an amazing person. You go girl.