OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary is thrilled to announce that swim coach Liz Germonprez has been named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the sport in the 2025-26 season.

The Flames placed fifth in the KCAC Swimming & Diving Championships over the weekend in Hobart, Ind., a two-spot climb from last season. It matches the program's best finish in its four-year participation in the KCAC.

"I was very surprised,'' Germonprez said. "It was very unexpected. It's an incredible honor to be recognized by my fellow KCAC coaches. I'm very thankful for that, that they see the progress that this team has made. To be recognized for that as their coach was very, very special.''

The award was announced just before the final event of the four-day meet, the 400 free relay.

"The kids go crazy,'' Germonprez said, smiling. "My team's hugging and hugging. While I'm running across the bulkhead, I hear the 400 free relay team behind me, just losing their mind. They were so excited.''

In that final event, the team of Jaidyn Vanschoiack, Isabella Promes, Hannah Ferguson and Kylee Brown broke the school record, clocking 3:40.34 for fifth place. Vanschoiack's leg was particularly remarkable. She had never gone under 56 seconds for 100 meters, and she clocked 54.92 seconds.

"It was really an incredible final 20 minutes,'' Germonprez said. "We all feel very validated. We've been working very hard.''