ERIE, Pa. – Katie Cowan has been named interim head coach of the Gannon women's and men's swimming and diving teams for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, Gannon Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard McGuirk has announced.

Cowan is in her fifth season with the swimming and diving program after spending the first four-plus seasons as an assistant coach.

"We appreciate Katie's willingness to serve in the interim role and serve our student-athletes," Goddard McGuirk said. "We have a talented team of student-athletes, and we are excited to watch them compete and continue their forward progress."
 

"I am honored and thrilled to accept the position as interim head coach for the Gannon swimming and diving team," Cowan said. "This group of men and women is very special and unlike any other I have worked with. I have been blessed to grow with this team over the past four years.  Their academic and athletic achievements are tremendous, but what I appreciate most about this group is that their successes are founded upon the mutual trust, respect, and support they demonstrate daily.

"I am very excited to serve this team as the interim head coach as we start the next chapter of Gannon swimming and diving together."

The Golden Knights are coming off a dual-meet victory against an Indiana (Pa.) women's team that placed 15th at last year's national championships and the Cleveland State Magnus Cup, where the program set four school records and recorded four NCAA b-cuts as well as numerous Gannon top-10 times. 

With Cowan's assistance, the Gannon men's swimming and diving team placed second at the PSAC Championships in 2022-23 with a series of All-PSAC performances and school records. Meanwhile, the Gannon women's team placed fourth in the PSAC Championships in 2022-23 with a couple of All-PSAC relays.

Cowan came to Gannon after spending the previous five years at Mercyhurst Prep, where she was an assistant swim coach from 2013-18 and took over head coaching duties in 2018.

During her time as an assistant, Cowan helped her swimmers break multiple school records and three district records, and she helped lead her 2015 boys team to a 4th-place state finish. She helped produce 14 state medalists, 49 district medalists, and eight district champions. When she transitioned to head coach, Cowan produced five state qualifiers, which is the most female qualifiers the school had seen in 10 years. She led her team to two state medals, two all-state performances, two school records, and one district champion.

Prior to her time with Mercyhurst Prep, Cowan spent a summer with the Junior Elite Age Group Swim Team implementing a summer training program.

Cowan helped coach three different Division I teams earlier in her career. Cowan played a vital role in recruiting at West Virginia, Cornell, and Kansas.

Cowan was a varsity swimmer from 1996-2000 at Brown University. She was a U.S. Olympic trials finalist and ranked in SCM World Rankings Top-50 in the 400 IM, and 400 free. Cowan was an All-American Honorable Mention, two-time Academic All-American, two-time Academic All-Ivy League honoree, nine-time First Team All-Ivy League selection, and a GTE Academic All-District I First Team selection. She was a five-time NCAA qualifier and is a five-time school record holder.

She graduated from Brown in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. In December 2005, she received her first master's degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences. She also mastered in Community Counseling in 2010 at West Virginia.

Cowan takes over a position left open when previous head coach Jacqueline Michalski departed the program to pursue another professional opportunity.