Kovenock Joins Notre Dame Staff

Kate Kovenock, who spent four seasons as assistant coach for both the men¹s and women¹s swimming programs at Division III powerhouse Kenyon College, has been named assistant women¹s swimming coach at the University of Notre Dame, it was announced today by head coach Brian Barnes. An 11-time All-American at Connecticut College, she helped Kenyon College to seven (four men¹s and three women¹s) NCAA men¹s and women¹s team championships during her four-year tenure at the school.

"Kate is a great hire and I am very excited to have her join my staff," Barnes said. "She has a comprehensive understanding of athletics and swimming to will help build Notre Dame into a highly-successful program. Kate is very bright and understands the effort that it takes to compete at a championship level. Her coaching experience at Kenyon has given her great insight into the pace you need to work at to be competitive from year-to-year."

An assistant on the Kenyon staff, the women¹s team won national titles in 2007-09 after recording a runner-up finish in 2006. During Kovenock¹s tenure, a total of 32 women¹s swimmers earned 247 All-America citations, including 11 who earned 10 or more All-America accolades from 2005-09.

She coordinated recruiting efforts for the women¹s program and was responsible for coaching all training groups. In addition, she designed and implemented Power Rack programs for sprint and stroke groups. Kovenock also served as a liaison with academic services at the College handled many administrative duties with regards to travel, training trips, budgets and scheduling relative to the program.

From 2003-08, she also served as a coach for the Total Performance Elite Sprint Camp at Kenyon College.

Kovenock graduated from Connecticut College with honors and distinction earning her bachelor¹s degree in philosophy in ¹05. A four-year member of the women¹s swimming program from 2001-05, she was the NCAA champion in the 50-yard freestyle at the Division III national championships as a junior in 2004. She garnered 11 All-America accolades in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle events and won 11 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championships in those races. Kovenock also held NESCAC records in those events. A two-time co-captain of the teams, she finished her career as the school record holder in the 50, 100, 200-yard freestyle and 50 and 100-yard butterfly events.

A member of the Dean¹s List throughout her four years at Connecticut College, she was a two-time ESPN The Magazine /CoSIDA Academic All-American and twice earned NESCAC All-Academic Team honors. In ¹04, she was the recipient of the Connecticut College Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts research grant. In her senior year, she also served as a senior admission fellow for the school¹s Department of Admission and also was a four-year member of the Athletic Advisory Board for Student-Athletes.

"I am very excited to join Brian¹s staff and become a part of the Notre Dame community," Kovenock said. "In coming to the University, I had put into my mind a picture as to what it would be like here. It really struck me during the interview process what an impressive experience Notre Dame offers to its student-athletes and the resources and facilities that exist at the school. I look forward to the opportunity to be part of the swimming program here."