Northwestern University Athletics
Coaches Corner: Abby Steketee
8/13/2015 8:30:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
As the Wildcats turn their attention to the 2015-16 seasons, NUSports.com caught up with one of three new head coaches starting their first year at the helm, women's swimming and diving's Abby Steketee. Steketee touches on what is so rewarding about being a college coach, how she wants to build the Northwestern program and her very first memory from the Northwestern pool in this edition of "Coaches Corner."
What is the most rewarding part of being a college coach?
When you start the recruiting process, and these are 17- and sometimes 16-year-old individuals and then to see where they end up when they're 22 and they're leaving college and they have a degree. So just that sort of personal growth and, not just what they're doing in the pool and getting faster, but how they're getting more confident and developing all kinds of skills — that relationship that you build over that many years and that much time together.
What's going to be most appealing about coaching Northwestern student-athletes?
I think that Northwestern student-athletes have the opportunity to pursue the highest levels of academics and athletics and that they really value both. They have the drive, the determination, and the opportunities here to reach the highest level in both spheres.
What kind of student-athlete do you want to have in your program?
Passionate, determined, team-oriented, hardworking.
What do you want your student-athletes to take from you after they graduate?
To never give up. So you just give your best. It's about the effort and if it doesn't go right the first time, you learn from it, and you stand back up and you go again. So it's really determination. Because I think that if you're determined and resilient — whether it's swimming or law or medicine — then you'll be able to reach your dreams.
Are there any individuals in your coaching career that have molded you into your philosophy?
There are two. One would be Sergio Lopez, the bronze medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games, and he's a person who's built around passion and believing in yourself and having that positive energy. And then my grandfather, the one that taught me how to stand on my hands and do all kinds of acrobatics. He was all about just go after it. You know, there's no fear of failure. Just go and give it your best.
What is your first memory from the Northwestern pool?
My family was visiting campus. And I got up really early and decided that I wanted to go fly in the pool, because I love to swim. And so I wandered all over campus and found SPAC and went in. And when I walked into the pool, I was looking at the record board, and there was this name, S. Steketee, that had several records in a row. And I was like, God, that is the worst last name, it is just so strange. And then several years later, I met S. Steketee — Steve — on the pool deck coaching. A couple years after that, we got married.
Steve became Big Ten Champion, and now we're partners in coaching and we really get to spend 24/7 together at this place.
How nice is it to have your best friend by your side?
It builds a lot of confidence. It is a ton of fun, I mean it is 100 percent trust. And it's not a hierarchical relationship. Everyone on our staff is working as hard as they can forward. So to have that sort of energy when we are 100 percent dedicated to each other, to the team, is incredibly fulfilling.
At the end of the season, what will be considered a success in the first year?
I would like all of the girls to go best times at Big Tens, the divers to get their best scores. We're really looking to peak at Big Tens, that that's where they're going faster than they've ever gone in their life. And, if that means we're 10th again, that still means they've improved. If that means we're 6th, better. For us, as coaches, we're always looking for them to take a step forward in their growth, and times are a great way to measure that.
What is the most rewarding part of being a college coach?
When you start the recruiting process, and these are 17- and sometimes 16-year-old individuals and then to see where they end up when they're 22 and they're leaving college and they have a degree. So just that sort of personal growth and, not just what they're doing in the pool and getting faster, but how they're getting more confident and developing all kinds of skills — that relationship that you build over that many years and that much time together.
What's going to be most appealing about coaching Northwestern student-athletes?
I think that Northwestern student-athletes have the opportunity to pursue the highest levels of academics and athletics and that they really value both. They have the drive, the determination, and the opportunities here to reach the highest level in both spheres.
What kind of student-athlete do you want to have in your program?
Passionate, determined, team-oriented, hardworking.
What do you want your student-athletes to take from you after they graduate?
To never give up. So you just give your best. It's about the effort and if it doesn't go right the first time, you learn from it, and you stand back up and you go again. So it's really determination. Because I think that if you're determined and resilient — whether it's swimming or law or medicine — then you'll be able to reach your dreams.
Are there any individuals in your coaching career that have molded you into your philosophy?
There are two. One would be Sergio Lopez, the bronze medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games, and he's a person who's built around passion and believing in yourself and having that positive energy. And then my grandfather, the one that taught me how to stand on my hands and do all kinds of acrobatics. He was all about just go after it. You know, there's no fear of failure. Just go and give it your best.
What is your first memory from the Northwestern pool?
My family was visiting campus. And I got up really early and decided that I wanted to go fly in the pool, because I love to swim. And so I wandered all over campus and found SPAC and went in. And when I walked into the pool, I was looking at the record board, and there was this name, S. Steketee, that had several records in a row. And I was like, God, that is the worst last name, it is just so strange. And then several years later, I met S. Steketee — Steve — on the pool deck coaching. A couple years after that, we got married.
Steve became Big Ten Champion, and now we're partners in coaching and we really get to spend 24/7 together at this place.
How nice is it to have your best friend by your side?
It builds a lot of confidence. It is a ton of fun, I mean it is 100 percent trust. And it's not a hierarchical relationship. Everyone on our staff is working as hard as they can forward. So to have that sort of energy when we are 100 percent dedicated to each other, to the team, is incredibly fulfilling.
At the end of the season, what will be considered a success in the first year?
I would like all of the girls to go best times at Big Tens, the divers to get their best scores. We're really looking to peak at Big Tens, that that's where they're going faster than they've ever gone in their life. And, if that means we're 10th again, that still means they've improved. If that means we're 6th, better. For us, as coaches, we're always looking for them to take a step forward in their growth, and times are a great way to measure that.
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