Vanderbilt has hired Arkansas alumna Bella Cothern to the staff as an assistant coach and the Director of Operations.
Cothern recently graduated from the University of Arkansas after spending five years as one of their top swimmers. In 2024, she qualified for the NCAA Championships in the women’s 50 freestyle after swimming 22.04 to finish 4th at the SEC Championships. She also earned All-American honorable mention honors as part of the Arkansas 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams in 2022 and 2023 and the 200 medley relay in 2023.
Last season, she placed 22nd in the 50 free, 27th in the 100 free, and 36th in the 100 fly at the 2025 SEC Championships.
She graduated in 2024 with a degree in recreation and sports management and added a masters in the same subject during her 5th year.
Head coach Jeremy Organ said “We are thrilled to welcome Bella to the Vanderbilt swimming family. She is an outstanding young coach with a passion for developing student-athletes both in and out of the pool. Her competitive background and drive to succeed make her a perfect fit for our program as we continually strive for excellence and to continue the momentum we’ve built the last couple of seasons.”
Cothern has some coaching experience, working as a member of the Aquahawgs Swim Club staff during her tenure at Arkansas.
Vanderbilt is also a member of the SEC, meaning Cothern will be back at the SEC Championships this year, but wearing black and gold instead.
The Vanderbilt women finished 13th out of 13 teams last year, scoring 165 points to come in just behind the Arkansas women who brought in 244.
Cothern will join a coaching staff with Orgtan and Associate Head Coach Chelsea Piper.
