FAIRBANKS – Director of Athletics, Brock Anundson, has officially announced that Kelsey Leeson will take on the interim head coaching title following the departure of Cameron Kainer. Kainer's final day was Monday, August 9. 
 
Following a one-year stint with the Nanooks, Kainer has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Southern Indiana. Anundson thanked Kainer for his time in Fairbanks, "We are incredibly thankful for all Cameron has accomplished in his time with us at UAF. He has been a valuable asset to the swimming program and we wish him all the best."
 
Kelsey Leeson, who enters her third season with the Nanooks, officially began her role as interim head coach on Tuesday, August 10. She spent the last two seasons in the assistant role under Kainer for the 2020-21 season and spent the previous 2019-20 season as the assistant under Becca Weiland. Leeson, a 2017 St. Cloud State-alum, graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a Minor in Psychology. She was a part of the SCSU swim team, racing in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle, individually. She also took part in the 200 and 400-yard medley relay and the 200, 400, 800-yard freestyle relay. 
 
Anundson feels Leeson's reputation has prepared her for the next step in her career, "We are thrilled to announce Kelsey Leeson as our next head women's swimming coach at UAF. Kelsey has built a strong reputation within the UAF athletics landscape and the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference over the past few years as an assistant coach, and is now ready to take the next step in her career. She will do great things this year and has helped developed a top-tier team to take UAF swimming to the next level."
 
Leeson will lead the Nanooks into the 2021-22 season with their annual Blue/Gold Meet kicking off their campaign on Friday, Sept. 16.
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks swimming team, follow @NanookSwim on Instagram, @NanooksSwim on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Swimming team page on Facebook.