Former Princeton, Pitt, and Bucknell assistant Kelsey Reott has left the coaching staff just before the start of the new season to pursue a career outside of the sport, Princeton women’s head coach Abby Brethauer confirmed to SwimSwam this week.
“A big loss for our team and our profession, but certainly happy for her,” Brethauer said of her former assistant, also confirming that the departure was Reott’s choice.
The position was posted with a $68,000-$78,000 salary range on LinkedIn 4 days ago, but has already been closed there.
Reott joined the Princeton women’s staff last summer, which was her third full-time collegiate coaching position. She was part of the Tigers’ fourth consecutive Ivy League Championship and a 38th place finish at the NCAA Championships – the only Ivy League women’s program to score last season.
The new hire will be part of a refreshed Princeton staff: Emmett Adams was also hired earlier in the summer as an assistant coach, replacing David Cooper. Cooper was also with the program for just one season.
Prior to that she spent two seasons as part of the rebuilding effort at Pitt, where the men’s and women’s programs combined to break 38 program records and qualify 25 student-athletes for the NCAA Championships.
Before that, she spent three seasons at Bucknell.
A former standout swimmer at Westminster College, Reott joined the Bucknell staff following stints as a graduate assistant swimming & diving coach and admissions counselor at her alma mater. During her time as a graduate assistant coach with the Titans, Reott was responsible for creating, planning and implementing workouts. She was also heavily involved in recruiting, a strength she built upon as an admissions counselor. Reott helped the women’s team to their first Presidents Athletic Conference Championship in 12 years, while the men’s team placed second in the conference.
As a student-athlete for Westminster College from 2012 to 2016, Reott excelled in backstroke and IM events. At the PAC Championships, she reached the ‘A’ finals 11 times, placing as high as the runner-up. She was a two-time team captain, four-time All-PAC First Team honoree and was also named to the PAC Academic Honor Roll.
Reott received her bachelor’s degree in PreK-4 Early Childhood Education/PreK-8 Special Education from Westminster College in 2016. She obtained her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at her alma in 2021. Following her college graduation, Reott spent one year as an eighth-grade special education teacher in Virginia’s Culpeper County Public Schools; during that time, she also served as the head coach of BASS Swim Team.
A native of Butler, Pa., Reott qualified for the PIAA AA State Championships as a junior and senior at Slippery Rock High School.
Princeton begins their competitive season with a meet against Dartmouth and Brown on November 7th and 8th on the road in Hanover. Fall semester classes begin on September 2nd.
Princeton’s 2025-2026 Women’s Swimming & Diving Schedule
November 2025
Friday, 11/7: at Dartmouth w/ Brown (Dive Only), 6:00pm, Hanover, NH
Saturday, 11/8: at Dartmouth w/ Brown (Swim Only), 11:00am, Hanover, NH
Friday, 11/15: vs Rutgers, 11:00am, DeNunzio Pool
Friday, 11/21: at Cornell w/ Penn (Dive Only), 5:00pm, Ithaca, NY
Saturday, 11/22: at Cornell w/ Penn (Swim Only), 11:00am, Ithaca, NY
December 2025
Big Al Invitational – DeNunzio Pool
Thursday, 12/4: Big Al Invitational, 10:00am/6:00pm, DeNunzio Pool
Friday, 12/5: Big Al Invitational, 10:00am/6:00pm, DeNunzio Pool
Saturday, 12/6: Big Al Invitational, 10:00am/6:00pm, DeNunzio Pool
January 2026
Friday, 1/9: at Navy w/ Kenyon & Delaware, 5:00pm, Annapolis, MD
Saturday, 1/10: at Navy w/ Kenyon & Delaware, 11:00am, Annapolis, MD
Saturday, 1/24: vs Penn State & Virginia Tech, 11:00am, DeNunzio Pool
Friday, 1/30: at Harvard & Yale, TBD, Cambridge, MA
Saturday, 1/31: at Harvard & Yale, TBD, Cambridge, MA
February 2026
Saturday, 2/7: Rutgers Diving Tower Event, TBD, Piscataway, NJ
Ivy League Championships – Providence, RI
Wednesday, 2/18: Ivy League Championships, 6:00pm
Thursday, 2/19: Ivy League Championships, 11:00am/6:00pm
Friday, 2/20: Ivy League Championships, 11:00am/6:00pm
Saturday, 2/21: Ivy League Championships, 11:00am/6:00pm
March 2026
NCAA Diving Zones – Annapolis, MD
Monday, 3/9: NCAA Diving Zones, Time TBD, Location TBD
Tuesday, 3/10: NCAA Diving Zones, Time TBD, Location TBD
Wednesday, 3/11: NCAA Diving Zones, Time TBD, Location TBD
NCAA Championships – Atlanta, GA
Wednesday, 3/18: NCAA Championships, 6:00pm, Atlanta, GA
Thursday, 3/19: NCAA Championships, 10:00am/6:00pm, Atlanta, GA
Friday, 3/20: NCAA Championships, 10:00am/6:00pm, Atlanta, GA
Saturday, 3/21: NCAA Championships, 10:00am/6:00pm, Atlanta, GA
6 assistants in 3 years. Tough look on the HC. Lundgaard left a winning culture and Abby seems to only bring separation to a team that was already set up to succeed- it is Princeton after all. Good call on Kelsey to move and wishing the Tigers the best of luck
Damn bruv that’s a lot for a coach who has won 2 titles in 2 seasons.
What an odd, odd take. I liked Bret, he was a nice guy, and he recruited very good swimmers, but he struggled to keep them in the pool. In his second to last season with the team, he couldn’t field a full conference squad and the team finished 4th. They rebounded in his final season to win Ivies, but there was something misfiring with the team culture at the end of his tenure and he seems to have found a better fit for himself at Kentucky.
Abby, to put it simply, has been crushing it in her two seasons. She’s getting the most out of her athletes and has been putting together some very impressive recruiting classes. She seems to… Read more »
Has he found a better fit at Kentucky though? A leader with a track record of regressing culture doesn’t miraculously improve culture when starting in a more disadvantaged position.
Culture starts at the top.
Maybe check the salary range before making assumptions about the leadership. Even a great leader won’t be able to keep asst coaches fed and housed on sunshine and rainbows.
It seems Abby’s learning from Lundgaard since he’s also gone through an entire staff change in 2 years. Also his winning culture didn’t follow, 11th at SEC’s on the women’s side doesn’t seem to track
It’s like some of y’all have never watched sports before. You manage to use the exact same critique for a coach who has won 2 straight Ivy League titles as a coach who was 11th in the SEC.
Princeton is having success.
Kentucky is digging out of a big talent hole in the SEC. In 2022, they had a 20.59 anchor their men’s 200 medley relay at SECs.
There are a lot of red flags in collegiate swimming. I don’t think either of these sets of results so far are among them.
I never spoke on Princeton’s success. My comment was in regard to multiple staff changes.
I also didn’t speak about Kentucky’s men, they seem to be on an upswing (as long as there’s still some international distance swimmers left out there).
Would definitely like to hear your red flags in collegiate swimming though!
Bad timing IMO
Great call on her part, most likely more money, and less hours and travel.
I hope this doesn’t adversely affect their recent recruiting success.
Bold of you to think that an assistant who was there for one year was doing much on the recruiting front. I’d assume Abby will be just fine!