Ayres Excited to Join Tartan Family as Swimming & Diving Assistant

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Carnegie Mellon University head swimming and diving coach Matt Kinney has announced the hiring of Kellie Ayres as his new assistant for both the men's and women's programs. Ayres comes to Pittsburgh after serving in the same role at Dickinson College for the past two years.

"We are excited to bring Kellie into the Tartan swimming and diving family," Kinney said. "Her positive coaching impact during her last two seasons at Dickinson College combined with excellent college swimming background makes her an ideal fit for our program. Kellie will add a great deal of enthusiasm, organization and passion to the coaching staff here at Carnegie Mellon and we couldn't be more pleased to welcome her to Pittsburgh and our campus community."

Ayres took on many roles during her coaching tenure at Dickinson, including coaching, recruiting, and planning events. In her first season, she was named assistant men's coach of the year for the Centennial Conference alongside head coach Paul Richards after the team collected seven first-place conference finishes, which was more than their combined total since 1994.

Since 2005, Ayres has been influencing young swimmers by teaching the fundamentals of strokes and encouraging technique improvement. A 2010 graduate of Bloomsburg University, Ayres was a four-year member of the swimming team and elected captain her senior year.

"It is an awesome privilege to be joining the Tartans at Carnegie Mellon this coming season," Ayres said. "Over the past six years, I have worked with some amazing individuals as both an athlete and coach. These mentors have all had a hand in preparing me tremendously for this next chapter in my life. I am filled with enthusiasm for this new beginning and prepared to work hard and contribute to the continued success of both the men's and women's swimming programs."