Vickie Fellows Hired as Head Swimming Coach at Western Colorado University

Vickie Fellows has been hired as the new head coach of women’s swimming at Division II Western Colorado University.

The job at WCU became available in July when Erik Matheson announced he was stepping down from the program after four seasons. During Matheson’s time as head coach, he produced one national champion in Randi Yarnell, who won the women’s 200-yard freestyle at the 2019 Division II NCAA Championships. In 2021, Savannah Tice placed fifth at the Division II NCAA Championships in the 200 backstroke, earning All-American honors.

WCU is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference where they placed 4th out of 8 teams last season. They also finished 19th at the NCAA Division II Championships in 2021.

Fellows has served as the head coach of a club team she owns with her husband Ryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The pair have a daughter, Demetra, who is a freshman on the swim team at WCU.

In addition to coaching the Vipers of Albuquerque (VAST), Fellows was the head coach of Cibola High School in Albuquerque. One of Fellows’ swimmers, Jackson Cotter — who swims for both VAST and Cibola High — announced his intention to swim collegiately at Northern Michigan University as a freshman for the 2021-2022 season.

Outside of swimming, Fellows and her husband Ryan own and operate a photography business, four squeezed juice bars, and two ice cream parlors with a third set to open in 2021, according to the about page of the couple’s website. These businesses allow the Fellows to fully sponsor the VAST swim team, according to their website.

Fellows’ club team merged with MAKO Aquatics Club in the fall of 2018 to form RACE NM. Though the teams retain much of their original identities, they now compete under one banner.

Western Colorado begins their competitive season on September 25th with an intrasquad meet. Their first intercollegiate competition of the season is scheduled for October 9th when they’ll travel to Colorado State – Pueblo for a tri meet with the hosts and Adams State University.