Jessica Siegele is entering her first season as an assistant coach with the California University of Pennsylvania swimming program in 2008-09.
She comes to the program after serving as an assistant coach last year with the University of Pittsburgh. Last season, the Panthers women’s swimming & diving team finished third at the Big East Championships. Siegele worked with swimmers in the butterfly and backstroke.
Siegele was a four-year letterman and two-year captain on the swimming & diving team at the University of Kentucky from 2002-05. With the Wildcats, she set the school record in the 100 backstroke and is also among the school’s all-time leaders in the 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly. She received All-America Honorable Mention in 2005 as a member of the school record-setting 200 and 400 medley relay teams.
A two-time member of the SEC All-Academic team, Siegele graduated from Kentucky in 2005 before earning her masters degrees in sport business management and business administration from the University of Central Florida in 2007.
While completing her masters at UCF, she served as an assistant coach with the Trinity Preparatory School and Trinity Preparatory Aquatics in Winter Park, Fla. In Florida, Siegele also worked as a camp counselor at Pine Crest Swim Camp in Fort Lauderdale and as a member of the game-night staff with the Orlando Magic of the NBA.
Siegele started her college coaching career at Ashland University of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in 2007. In her season with the Eagles, eight athletes qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Prior to her work at Ashland, she served an internship with the United States Association of Blind Athletes. While with the organizations, she managed the membership database, produced press releases and acted as the events manager for World Youth and Student Games.
A native of Wexford, Pa., and product of North Allegheny High School, she competed at the 2003 Irish National Swimming Championships in Belfast, Ireland and won seven gold medals.
