Geena Freriks - Men's Swimming and Diving Coach - Ball State University Athletics

Geena Freriks

Title:
Graduate Assistant
Email:
gkfreriks@bsu.edu

Geena Freriks enters her first season as the graduate assistant coach for the Ball State swimming & diving program in 2020-21.

She joins the staff after a highly successful swimming career at the University of Kentucky, where she was a two-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion. A four-time All-SEC selection, earning first-team honors in 2017 and 2018, Freriks was the 2017 league champion in the 200 freestyle and the 2018 conference champion in the 500 freestyle. She also garnered First Team All-America accolades as a sophomore after anchoring the 800 freestyle relay to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

"Geena has proven herself as a tremendous leader both in and out of the water," head coach J. Agnew said. "Her positive attitude and energy are infectious. We are fortunate to have a graduate assistant who brings so much technical and competitive experience to our student-athletes."

As a senior in 2019, Freriks claimed second-team all-conference honors after bronze medal finishes in the 500 freestyle, 400 medley relay, and 800 freestyle relay. She also earned All-SEC Second Team honors as a freshman in 2016, placing second at the SEC Championships in the 200 freestyle to become UK's first freshman female medalist.

"I am thrilled to continue my involvement in the swimming world as a graduate assistant coach for Ball State University," Freriks said. "My goal is to further the development of our collegiate swimmers to help the program thrive while having a positive impact on their careers as student-athletes. Swimming has always been a passion of mine, and I cannot wait to dedicate my time as a motivator and mentor to the athletes here. I look forward to working with J., Chris, and Nick this season."

Overall, Freriks finished her Kentucky career with individual program records in the 500 freestyle (4:37.04), 1000 freestyle (9:30.78), and 1650 freestyle (15:57.64), as well as relay records in the 400 freestyle relay (3:14.59), 800 freestyle relay (6:56.23), and 200 medley relay (1:36.76). In the classroom, she was a four-time CSCAA Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America First Team honoree.

A two-time Olympic Trials qualifier who holds the 19th-fastest time in the world in the women's 1000 freestyle, Freriks graduated from Kentucky in the spring of 2020 with a degree in dietetics and a minor in business.