Kristy Patterson - Women's Swimming and Diving Coach

Kristy Patterson

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
krcastillo@bsu.edu
Phone:
765-285-5173

Kristy Patterson enters into her sixth season as head coach of the women’s swimming and diving team after a successful first five years at the helm of the program.

In the 2016-17 season, Patterson’s squad placed 18 members on the Academic All-MAC team after earning a 3.65 team GPA. The team was also awarded the CSCAA Scholar All-America honor for the fifth straight year. Patterson and the Cardinals started off the season with a second place finish at the Indiana Intercollegiate meet out of eight teams. Ball State picked up notable wins against Tiffin, Grand Valley State, IUPUI and Xavier.

In the mid-season meet, the Cardinals placed seventh with 286.5 points. On day one the relays were huge for the Cardinals. Patterson’s squad earned sixth in the 200 freestyle relay, ninth in the 400 medley relay, and 12^th in the 200 freestyle relay. On the second day, two Cardinals earned points while four different relay squads came up huge for the team. The final day the Cardinals had five top-16 individual finishes and two top-16 finishes in relays.

At the MAC Championships, Ball State competed in three events on the first and second day and earned 73 points. On the second day of competition, Patterson’s team boasted season highs, career highs, and one earned her spot in the Ball State record books. The final day of the meet, Ball State earned eight top-16 finishes.

In her fourth season, the Cardinals placed 17 on the Academic All-Conference team, five of which earned 4.0 grade-point averages, under Patterson. The team was also honored as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team. In the pool, five individuals earned their place in the Ball State record books. Notable finishes over the season included a second place finish at the Indiana Intercollegiate, fifth place at the Miami Invitational, and a win against Toledo.

At the Mid-American Conference meet, Ball State earned 131 points to close out the season. The Cardinals combined for eight top-16 finishes at MAC Championships and five top-8 finishes.

The 2014-15 season marked success in and out of the pool, when the team of 23 posted 85 individual lifetime bests and was honored as a CSCAA Scholar All-America team for the third consecutive year under Patterson.

In her third campaign as head coach, Patterson led Ball State to a 5-4 record, including 0-4 dual meet record in the Mid-American Conference, improving to an overall record of 16-12 and 14 new Ball State school records in the course of her time with the Cardinals program.

The Ball State women’s swimming and diving team marked the third highest team GPA of all Division I swim programs with a 3.58 for the 2014 fall semester, as awarded by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, in addition to holding the highest GPA in the Mid-American Conference.

Standout events for the Cardinals over the course of the 2014-15 season included the 100 and 200 freestyle, in which both Audrey Rodawig and Carlena Magley posted times that hold in the Ball State all-time Top Ten record book. With Madie Zirzow and Brittany Penn’s participation, it was the first time since the 2011-12 season that two Ball State divers participated in the NCAA Diving Zones, including Zirzow’s second time attending the competition.

In the 2013-14 season, Patterson led the Cardinals 3-6 dual record, while going 0-4 in the MAC. At the 2014 MAC Championships, Bridgette Ruehl claimed the 100 and 200 breaststroke individual titles for the second year in a row with times of 1:01.13 and 2:12.57, respectively. Ball State was also able to clench the 400 medley relay for the second year in a row and second time in program history, thanks to the combination of Ruehl, Mallory Miles, Haley Richter and Carlena Magley who finished in a 3:40.06. Richter also found individual success when she finished second in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events, before helping her team to a third place finish in the 200 medley relay. Also at the Championships, Jordan VanWinkle became just the fifth woman in Ball State history to go under five minutes in the 500 free after clocking a lifetime-best of 4:59.97 to sit in fifth place in school history.

Ball State ultimately had Richter and Ruehl named to All-MAC First Team, while five Cardinals earned Academic All-MAC accolades. The team earned its second CSCAA Scholar All-America award after marking a 3.53 team GPA.

In the 2012-13 season, the Cardinals accumulated an 8-2 dual record, including going 2-2 in MAC meets. Ball State won four individual medals at the 2013 MAC Championships, including three golds. The 400 medley relay also took home a gold medal after setting a school record and winning the event title for the first time in program history. Ruehl became the third woman in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships, competing in the 100 and 200 breast, events in which she finished first at the 2013 MAC Championships. Diver Zirzow also qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving meet as a freshman.

Patterson promoted success not only in the pool, but in the classroom during her first season as head coach. The team was named a 2013 CSCAA Scholar All-America team after finishing with a 3.45 GPA. Seniors Miles, Richter and Emily Wisolek earned the distinction of being named to the Honorable Mention All-America list. In addition, four Cardinals were named to the Academic All-MAC Team.

Patterson came to Ball State after serving as an assistant swim coach at the University of Akron from 2003-2012. In addition to her coaching experience at Akron, Patterson served as an assistant lecturer at Akron from 2008-12. She also served as a coach and camp counselor at the Stanford Swim Camp in the summers of 2006-2009.

A 2003 graduate of Akron, Patterson began her coaching career as the head swim coach at Rosemont Country Club in Fairlawn, Ohio, in the summers of 2003-04. She then went on to earn her master’s degree from Akron in 2006.

As a student-athlete for the Zips, the Canton, Ohio, native served as team captain for Akron in 2001 and 2002 and was as four-year letter winner. She set school records in the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 freestyle and as a member of four relay teams in her career.

Before her 1998 graduation from Glen Oak High School, Patterson swam under now-retired head coach Jeff Burrows, specializing as a breaststroker and sprint freestyler. A multisport athlete, Patterson was just one of few girls at the school to earn 12 letters in four years, including swimming, soccer and track.

In the spring of 2016, Patterson, formerly known as Kristy Castillo, married Ryan Patterson, an assistant coach for the Ball State women's basketball program.