Kelsey Mitchell - (Author)

Special Sets: The Training That Made Katie Hoff a World Champion and World-Record Holder Today’s question: Besides being swimmers, what do Allison Schmitt, Katie Ledecky and Ariana Kukors have in common? Answer: They all possess current American records once held by U.S. 400 IM (LC) record holder Ka...

How Training Has Changed Since the Onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic Four years removed from the worldwide shutdown due to COVID-19, aquatics has re-established a rhythm of training and championships. Paris beckons the world for a second Olympics since, and coaches have resumed mentoring their charges ...

Special Sets: The Training That Guided Virginia's Jasmine Nocentini to NCAA Stardom The women’s NCAA championships are over. The University of Virginia won its fourth straight title in dominant fashion, renewing the ongoing discussion of a dynasty. Carol Capitani’s Longhorns finished second again an...

Amanda Weir Still Owns 11-12 NAG in 50-Yard Freestyle; The Training That Produced This Success I first saw a picture of Amanda Weir in 1998. It was in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd, which was celebrating her for setting an NAG record in the 50-yard freestyle – a record that still stands to...

Q&A: A Chat With St. Xavier (Ky.) High School Coach Todd Larkin A former swimmer at St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Ky., Todd Larkin has continued to mold boys to men all the while advancing the nation’s longest streak of consecutive state championships. Todd Larkin Head Coach, Swimming & Divi...

Collegiate, Saint Christopher Capture Virginia Independent Schools (VISSA) State Titles Two Richmond schools are winners yet again at the Virginia Independent Schools Swimming Association state championships. Saturday night at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center, the Saint Christopher boys grabbed the...

Remembering a First Glance at Katie Ledecky - Circa 2011 Veteran Swimming World contributor Mike Stott penned this piece back at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials. As Katie Ledecky pushes toward a fourth Olympic Games, the piece is an enjoyable trip down Memory Lane. While the name Katie Ledecky...

Winning Assistants (Part II): Succession Has Been a Routine Name of the Game SwimmingWorldMagazine.com previously featured Jim Steen and a string of Kenyon assistants who have found success as aquatic head coaches. In this installment, we explore the paths of select D-I coaches who are mimicking the...

Q&A With Seton School Coach Jim Koehr Exposure to swimming changed the trajectory of Jim Koehr’s life. As such, this entrepreneur/swim coach has made swimming the Seton School’s (Manassas, Virginia) most popular and successful sport. Jim Koehr Head Swim and Dive Coach The Seton School Manassas, Virg...

Special Sets: The Training of Surging Teenage Star Rylee Erisman; 14-Year-Old Qualified for Olympic Trials in Seven Events In Windermere, it’s already been a good year for the Erisman family. In early January, son, Ryan Erisman, second-ranked by SwimCloud in Florida and 12th (USA) in the Class of 20...

How They Train: The Work of Former William & Mary Standout Anna Kenna Anna Kenna graduated from William & Mary in 2022. As a four-year varsity swimmer, she compiled quite a résumé. In 2019, she was named freshman swimmer of the year, and in 2021, team MVP. She was a seven-time Coastal Athletic Assoc...

Collegiate Girls, Saint Christopher Boys Look Sharp as State-Title Defenses Await Often the results of the League of Independent Schools and Virginia Prep League swim and dive championships are a precursor to the VISAA championship a fortnight later. Saturday, in a boisterous competition held in Ric...

How They Train: The Work of St. Xavier/Lakeside Standout Johnny Crush Johnny Crush, a St. Xavier High School (Ky.) senior bound for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this coming fall, is the Class of 2024’s No. 1 recruit in Kentucky and No. 6 nationally (according to Swimcloud). He is a seven-...

Winning Assistants: The Jim Steen Effect and How Mentoring is a Head Coaching Duty Is the past really prologue? In this first of two articles, Swimming World explores the thoughts of legendary Kenyon coach Jim Steen and the qualities he saw that augured future success for his assistants. A Kent Stat...

Special Sets: A Look at the Training of Florida Recruit Lilla Bognar As college swimming shifts into midseason training, future prospects for the University of Florida women continue to brighten. In the fall, the Gators landed two USA Swimming Junior National Team members in Lynsey Bowen (ranked fif...

Q&A With McKendree University Coach Jimmy Tierney Born into a swimming family, Jimmy Tierney has never strayed far from his aquatic roots. A longtime Northwestern women’s coach, he is now in his ninth year directing NCAA Division II powerhouse McKendree University. His service to the sport includes ...

How They Train: The Work of Division II Record-Holder Jackson Lustig When Jackson Lustig hit the McKendree University (Ill.) campus in September of 2021, he had already compiled a healthy aquatic résumé. As a senior, he led his Greenfield (Wis.) High School team to a second-place Division 1 state ch...

How to Build a Winning Team Culture: Coaches From Around the Country Discuss Key Factors Coaches around the country weigh in on the many factors that can help their swim teams build a winning culture. Prior to becoming head coach at the University of Florida (2010 women’s NCAA champion), 2012 U.S. O...

A Look and Breakdown Of the Legendary 100 x 100s Set Of Mike Bruner About eight months before he set a world record in the 200-meter butterfly (1:59.23) and won a second gold medal in the 800 freestyle relay at the 1976 Olympics, Mike Bruner completed an aquatic first - swimming 10,000 yards in unde...

How They Train: The Workouts of Age-Group Standout Mason Spurgeon As a dedicated 12-year-old and rapidly improving swimmer with several AAA times, it is fair to surmise that Mason Spurgeon’s best aquatic days are ahead of him. Spurgeon—who plays the viola, loves to compete and do anything with the w...