Kate Kovenock '05 is considered to be the most dominant swimmer Connecticut College has ever seen.
Kovenock was an 11-time All-American and 11-time New England Small College Athletic Conference NESCAC Champion during her decorated four-year career in the water. In March of 2004 at the NCAA Championship in St.Peters, Missouri, Kovenock made history by winning a National Championship in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.32 seconds, the first NCAA crown in the history of the Camel athletic program.
Kovenock graduated with school, conference regular season and NESCAC Championship records in the 50, 100, and 200 yard freestyle events. She was voted the NESCAC Swimmer of the Meet in 2004. In 2005, Kovenock was named the NESCAC Senior Swimmer of the Meet for scoring the most points at the conference championship during her four years.
In 2005, Kovenock led the Camels to their highest finish to date at a NESCAC Championship by placing fifth with a score of 850 points.
Kovenock was equally impressive in the classroom. She was recognized on the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team in 2004 and 2005. During commencement weekend, Kovenock was honored as the co-recipient of the Anita L. DeFrantz Award that is presented annually to the male and female members of the graduating class whose athletic ability, leadership and sportsmanship best exemplify the qualities of Olympic Rower and current International Olympic Committee member Anita L. DeFrantz ‘74.
She received her degree in philosophy from the College in 2005. Since graduation, Kovenock has been rising in the collegiate coaching ranks. She started at Division III powerhouse Kenyon College and is currently serving as the assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame. In 2012-2013, the Irish set a program record with a school-best 16th place finish at the NCAA Championship meet, scoring 55 points, which was the second highest point total in program history.
