Withers begins her first year as a graduate assistant coach with the Smith College swim team.
Philosophy
As a coach, Katt is motivated to make a positive impact through building meaningful relationships with student-athletes and helping them work to achieve their goals. Based on her experiences as a student-athlete and a coach, she believes deeply in the value of college athletics, and wants to help foster personal growth and the development of life skills through athletics. Katt strives for excellence in her own work as a coach, bringing passion and care to every practice, and hopes to inspire her athletes to do the same.
Experience
As a young coach, Katt has sought out opportunities to learn from some of the best, spending the past four summers working at swim camps alongside decorated college coaches. She has coached at Bobcat Swim Camp at Bates College (2022-2025), Kenyon College Total Performance Swim Camp (2024-2025) and Stanford Swim Camp (2025). Katt got her first taste of coaching while in high school (2021), when she was made the primary coach for a developmental group (age 8-10) at her own club team, the Peoria Area Water Wizards (PAWW). As a student-athlete at Hamilton College, Katt invested deeply in her relationships with teammates, coaches, and staff while balancing rigorous academics and athletics. Her efforts were recognized when she was the first swimmer to win the Jannone Award, given out by Hamilton College Athletics to one graduating senior of each gender for "academic and athletic excellence while being an exemplary community member" (2025). She was named Hamilton Women's Swim & Dive Scholar-Athlete of the Year twice (2024, 2025) and was named to the NESCAC All-Academic Team on three occasions (2023, 2024, 2025). In 2022, she was named to the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team. When she graduated, she was fourth All-Time in the 50 Fly. Katt graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2025, with a major in Sociology and minors in Creative Writing and American Studies. She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honors society and was named the Class Salutatorian.
Personal
In her spare time, Katt loves to read, workout, and spend time with family and friends. She loves dogs, and will frequently stop her runs to say hello to a new furry friend!
