Katt is entering her second year as a graduate assistant with Smith College Swim & Dive. She was instrumental in the team’s historic success in the 2025-2026 season. Notably, Katt was awarded a scholarship to attend the WeCOACH’s NCAA Women’s Leadership Academy in May of 2026.
Philosophy
Katt is motivated to make a positive impact through meaningful relationships with student-athletes, which she builds using transformational leadership. Based on her experience as a student-athlete and coach, she believes good coaches both support and challenge their athletes to be the best version of themselves. Katt leads by example and strives for excellence in her work as a coach, bringing energy, grit, and passion to every interaction.
Experience
In her first year with Smith Swim and Dive, the Bears had a historic year, notching their highest finish at conference in 18 years. The team finished the regular season with a record of 9-3, their first winning record in 13 years, the most wins in 40 years and second-most wins in a season in program history. The team defeated conference opponents WPI and Springfield College for the first time in school history and for the first time in 40 years, respectively. The team set 171 personal bests over the course of the season, while maintaining a 3.7+ team GPA.
Katt is constantly seeking new ways to learn and improve, and has spent the last five summers working at swim camps across the country alongside decorated college coaches. She has worked at Kenyon College's Total Performance Swim Camp, Bobcat Swim Camp at Bates College, Stanford Swim Camp and Longhorn Swim Camp at the University of Texas, Austin.
Education:
Kat graduated summa cum laude from Hamilton College in 2025 where she majored in Sociology and minored in Creative Writing and American Studies. She wrote her senior thesis on moral values that underpin coaching practices, seeking to understand how coaches developed unique coaching philosophies. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and named the Class of 2025 Salutatorian. While at Hamilton, Katt was recognized by the athletic department with the Jannone Award for her work balancing high-level academics with athletics and being an active community member. She was the first swimmer in school history to be recognized with this award. At the time of graduation, she was ranked fourth All-Time in the 50 fly, and was a multi-time NESCAC finalist. She was named to the NESCAC All-Academic Team, NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team and was named the Hamilton Women's Swim & Dive Scholar Athlete of the Year throughout her career.
Personal
When she's not working, Katt loves to read, be active, spend time outdoors and be with friends and family. She loves dogs, and will frequently stop her runs to say hi to a new furry friend.
