Kathy Cook, one of the top amateur coaches in the country, enters her fifth season as an assistant coach for the Albright men's and women's swim programs in 2019-20
Cook helped assist the Albright men's team to its third consecutive MAC Championship in 2018-19 and eighth title in the past nine seasons. The Albright women's team posted a eighth place finish at MAC Championships.
The 2017-18 saw a second consecitive MAC Championship for the Albright men's team, while the women's team finished in fourth at championships. Cook helped coach Bryce Schaffer to win MAC men's swimming freshman of the year.
In 2016-17, the Albright men's team won the MAC Championship, the tenth in school history. The Albright women came in fifth place.
During her first season on the Lions staff she helped lead the Albright men's program to a second-place finish at the Middle Atlantic Conference championships.
Cook served as the head coach of the Tops Swimming team after serving as the Director of Competitive Swimming and the head coach at the Pottstown YMCA for 17 years.
During her tenure at the Pottstown YMCA, Cook was named the YMCA National Coach of the Year in 2014 after leading Pottstown to the Pennsylvania state YMCA Championship. Additionally, she coached individuals to 15 YMCA National Championships and two of her swimmers set YMCA national records.
She coached Pottstown teams that placed in the top 20 at the YMCA National Championships in 2004, 2005 and 2010. She also led her teams to a top five finish in the district and state YMCA meets every year since 1997.
Cook was the age group coach for former Penn State standout Pat Schirk who went on to become the first Nittany Lion to ever capture an NCAA individual championship. Schirk later went on to earn a spot on the United States National Team.
An accomplished swimmer herself, Cook captured Pennsylvania YMCA state championship titles in 1963, 1965 and 1967.
Cook earned her Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg University in 1975. At East Stroudsburg she was a two-sport athlete. A captain on the Warriors women's swim team and played on the lacrosse team as well.
