ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Augustana College Director of Athletics, Mike Zapolski, has announced the hiring of Ramsey Vens ('10) as the head coach of the men's and women's swimming & diving programs.

"Ramsey brings a number of positive attributes to her new position at Augustana, and I am confident that she will build on the positive trajectory within the Vikings men's and women's swimming and diving program," said Zapolski "Ramsey's extensive coaching experience at the collegiate, club and high school level, robust recruiting contacts and passion for mentoring young people will be valuable assets."

Vens, a 2010 graduate of Augustana, served as the top assistant coach for the past five seasons at St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa. With the Bees, she trained and produced 21 student-athletes to NAIA All-American status, also coaching numerous athletes to multiple conference and school records broken. Under Vens' guidance, both the Bees' men's and women's teams won the Liberal Arts Conference Championships three years in a row. In addition to her coaching duties, she also carried out administrative duties for the programs, which included recruiting, meet planning, holding training sessions and practices. 

"I'm incredibly excited and grateful to return to my alma mater as the Head Coach of Augustana College Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving," said Vens. "It truly feels like coming home. I want to thank Augustana Athletic Director Mike Zapolski for granting me this incredible opportunity. I look forward to building on the strong tradition of success within both the men's and women's programs. Go Augie!"

In addition to her position with St. Ambrose, Vens also served as an assistant swim coach for Davenport Central High School from 2021-24. She owns and operates Fins Up Swim School, LLC and has worked with the Davenport Metro Swim Team as a head coach, as well as both Pleasant Valley High School and Bettendorf-Pleasant Valley Aquatics as a coach.

Vens was a four-year swimmer and letter winner with Augie and was the team MVP in 2006 and 2007. She was a two-time CCIW champion in the 100 backstroke and was runner-up in the 200 and 100 backstroke. In 2006, she qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships and was named the CCIW's Most Outstanding Performer that season before earning the league's Most Valuable Swimmer award the following year. She garnered CCIW Swimmer of the Week honors at least once every season she competed at Augustana. To this day, Vens owns three top-10 times in three different events in the Augustana program record book.

Vens' duties with the teams will begin this summer.