Lindsey Horejsi Kozelsky: I Wished There Was A 500 Breaststroke Event, I Loved It So Much

Courtesy of Patrick Mader.

Patrick is a writer for mnathletes.com, a website dedicated to featuring Minnesota athletes in a wide range of sports. See the website here.

Only 27 years old, Lindsey Horejsi (pronounced hoo-ray zhē) Kozelsky has achieved a lot in her young lifetime. The Albert Lea, Minnesota (located 90 miles south of Minneapolis), athlete set a national high school swimming record in the 100-yard breaststroke (58.56), qualified for three US Olympic Trials, graduated from high school a semester early and from undergraduate school at the University of Minnesota (U of M) in three years, obtained her master’s degree in education in one year through an accelerated program, was NCAA runner-up in the breaststroke her freshman year, and is an accomplished dancer. Oh, and she married boyfriend William Kozelsky after her first year in college. Now teaching 5th grade in her hometown and the mother of two children, Lindsey obviously is a mature young woman.

Born in 1997, Lindsey has two older sisters, Krista (who swam at St. Thomas University) and Amy. The three daughters of Mark and Sue Horejsi were all encouraged to participate in dance, learn to play the piano, and swim. The sport of swimming was mandated because Mark has a fear of water and cannot swim but embraced the swimming community as his daughters progressed in the sport.

A member of the YMCA Tiger Sharks, Lindsey started at age six and swam with the group until age thirteen and then joined USA Swimming. She also participated in soccer, continued in dance which helped with flexibility and developed other muscle groups, and competed on the varsity track and field team in jumps and made the section finals in the 400-meter dash in 2015.

But it was clear that swimming was the 5’ 11” athlete’s strength. “I wished there was a 500-meter breaststroke event, I loved it so much,” Lindsey declares. As proof, she won four consecutive individual state titles in the 100-yard breaststroke after being runner-up as an 8th-grader in 2011. The team claimed 3rd place behind perennial power Visitation with only six qualifiers at the state meet in 2015. Lindsey was also victorious in the 50-yard freestyle race and did the breaststroke in the 200-yard medley relay with Tiger teammates Bailey Sandon, Ahnika Jensen, and Anna Andersen while setting a Class A meet record.

After begging for a dog for years, Lindsey’s parents relented, saying if she won a state championship as an 8th-grader, she could have it provided she trained it and took full responsibility for it. The runner-up finish was terribly disappointing and narrowly missing the Olympic Trials standard at the same time. She was surprised to be offered the opportunity to qualify once more at a Last Chance Meet at the U of M Aquatic Center. She swam alone—no other racers—and hit the mark! “It was the best moment ever,” Lindsey says of euphoric time. “I was just elated!” She again pitched having a dog—trying to convince her parents that qualifying for the Olympic Trials was better than a state championship. A dog named Bean soon joined the Horejsi family.

Only three other 14-year-old student-athletes were at the 2012 Olympic Trials and Lindsey finished 88th. “I was just in awe of it [the Olympic Trials experience]. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she says of watching and meeting the country’s greatest collection of swimmers all at one location. Lindsey would be among the best twice more.

On Lindsey’s kickboard, she had inscribed the number 58.75, the national high school record for the 100-yard breaststroke set by Kasey Carlson in 2009. “I always swam well at the Austin Middle School,” she says of the events leading up to her record-setting swim in 2015. While not setting the record, she did well and won the 500-yard freestyle to help the team capture the Big 9 championship. At the state meet, it did happen. Lindsey broke the record in a preliminary race with a time of 58.56 seconds. “The crowd roared and gave me a standing ovation,” she says of the memorable moment. Also cheering were her future Minnesota Gopher teammates since the state meet was at the U of M Aquatic Center and the team had been there to practice.

Photo: Lindsey Horejsi Kozelsky

Committing to the Gophers early in her senior year, Lindsey decided the U of M was right. “It had a homey feel. The staff is amazing. It has a beautiful facility,” she says of her decision, adding it was comfortable to have sisters Danielle and Chantal Nack from Mankato and Kaia and Bridgette Grobe from Chanhassen as teammates. Tennessee was tempting and had impressed Lindsey with many of the same resources plus an animal service training program which was very appealing to the dog-lover. Once she made the choice to attend the U of M, she cancelled a scheduled visit to USC.

Graduating a semester early, Lindsey commuted to Rochester in early 2016 to train in a 50-meter pool for another effort to make the US Olympic swim team. Boyfriend William Kozelsky also graduated a semester early and decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. With the only communication available being letters sent via the US Postal Service, it was a challenging time for the couple during William’s 13-week boot camp. “One of my favorite times was when William graduated from boot camp,” Lindsey says of the training ground near San Diego, California.  William was an honor graduate who received the Fittest Marine Award and leaped to the rank of lance corporal.

Experiencing a lot of pressure and with William in the service, the 2016 Olympic Trials lost their fun, with Lindsey placing 19th and 29th in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events respectively out of 125 qualifiers. A persistent and patient William proposed to Lindsey in September—during her first semester at the U of M (they married in the summer of 2017). In her first season as a Gopher, Lindsey was runner-up in both the Big Ten and the NCAA Championships in her specialty—behind 2016 Olympic gold medalist Lily King of Indiana.

King continued to be Lindsey’s rival and roadblock to a Big Ten championship. Lindsey placed 3rd at the NCAA Championships in 2017-18 and 4th in the 2018-19 season. The COVID pandemic dashed her training and plans for the 2019-20 season. It was during this fourth year of eligibility that Lindsey earned her master’s degree with a rigorous academic schedule which included teaching at Sheridan Hills in Richfield, tutoring, double-training sessions three times per week, weightlifting, and daily CrossFit training. It was a packed schedule from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. or later day-after-day. Whew! At the 2020 Olympic Trials (held in June 2021 because of COVID), Lindsey soared to the semifinals and placed 13th in the 100-meter breaststroke and 33rd in the longer race.

“Swimming has been a wonderful part of my life,” says the accomplished student-athlete turned teacher. Lindsey is appreciative of the welcoming Gopher senior brigade when she entered the U of M, her many coaches, how CrossFit and bible study groups have enriched her life, and the support of her family and William.

“I’m very pleased with where everything is,” Lindsey summarizes. Of course, she is. The married couple has two children, Garrison and a newborn named Millie. Her dog Bean is now 12 and accompanied by another canine, Brisket!