Paige Conrad has been named an assistant swimming coach, Illinois State head swimming coach Scott Cameron announced Tuesday.
“Paige is a great up-and-coming coach that brings a lot of passion and dedication to this sport. Her experience as a former Division I student-athlete, as well as her experience working as an assistant coach and swim camp coach and counselor, will make her an asset to our program moving forward,” Cameron said. “I am thrilled that she will be joining the Redbird family, and I am excited about the future of ISU swimming and diving with her on staff.”
Conrad brings a wealth of experience to the role, as a former Division I swimmer who competed at the University of Idaho, while Cameron was an assistant coach on the Idaho staff. Conrad later served as a student assistant at Idaho, before moving into an assistant coaching role at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.
“I want to be an asset to the team, not only by motivating them on deck, but also by encouraging them to be well-rounded citizens in the ISU community and in their life beyond,” Conrad said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to continue working with Coach Cameron because we both see the potential in what the team can accomplish, and we believe that we can bring a new perspective that will take Redbird swimming and diving to new heights.”
Conrad joins the Illinois State swimming and diving coaching staff after spending the 2014-15 season as an assistant swimming coach for the Lewis men’s and women’s teams. Her responsibilities there included practice planning, strength and conditioning training, and video analysis. She also managed the team budget and planned team travel, organized community service projects, and played a key role in recruiting.
Conrad served as a student assistant at Idaho in 2013-14 after her time competing as a member of the team. In that role, she was responsible for practice planning, implementing a video analysis program, and organizing recruiting efforts.
Conrad also has experience in coaching at the youth level, having spent the past two summers as a camp coach and counselor at camps hosted by the University of Michigan. She worked with swimmers from a variety of age groups at the camps, with an emphasis in stroke technique using video analysis. Conrad also served as a stroke clinic coordinator and coach at the YMCA in her hometown of Fort Mill, South Carolina, in 2014.
A standout student-athlete specializing in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, Conrad was a four-time letterwinner and Western Athletic Conference academic scholar during her time competing at Idaho. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2014.
Conrad will begin work at Illinois State on June 29.
