Krista Gensler was officially named head coach of the Naperville Central girls swim and dive program effective April 13, following the March 3 resignation of former head coach Mike Adams, according to an announcement from Athletic Director Jeff Plackett to athletes and their families.
Gensler, a former assistant coach for the girls program at Benet Academy and current coach for the Maverick Swim Club, takes over months after the Redhawk programs’ 2025 season concluded in November, stepping into a program navigating an offseason leadership transition. Her appointment comes as Central looks to reestablish stability and direction ahead of the 2026 swim season while building on years of success in the DuPage Valley Conference.
“Coach Gensler is familiar to the Naperville swim community and brings a tremendous amount of experience as a high school coach in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and most recently at Benet Academy,” Plackett said. “She is also active in the local swim club community. Coach Gensler shared a clear vision for maximizing the talents of our athletes and will be a great addition not only to our swim staff but to the larger Naperville Central coaching community as well.”
Gensler said she was eager to step into the head coaching position, especially considering her familiarity with the team, its athletes and the broader swim community.
“I was very excited,” Gensler said. “I know the team. My daughter was on the team this year, so I know many of the girls on the team. I know many of the girls from the swim community, and I am just really excited to be back on deck and working with them.”
Beyond familiarity, Gensler emphasized the personal and professional significance of the opportunity to take the helm of the Redhawk girls’ swimming and diving program as she returns to high school coaching.
“Personally, I am very excited to see the continuation of such a great swim program,” Gensler said. “Naperville is such a strong swim community, and I’m excited that I get to be part of that. Professionally, I am excited. I took this year off from coaching at the high school level because my daughter is at Central and I wanted to just be a parent in the stands, but I really missed it.”
As she takes over, Gensler said her coaching approach will center around both accountability and team dynamics.
“I would say I am a very positive and encouraging coach,” Gensler said. “I expect a lot out of the girls, but they will always know kind of where my head’s at with the expectations I have. I would say I like to get to know them on a personal level and not just in the pool, kind of what they like to do outside of the pool and school.”
Looking ahead, Gensler said her goals include retention of current athletes in the program and continued success at the state level.
“I would say my immediate goal this year is to just have everybody come back to the team,” Gensler said. “I know that there’s a really successful group of girls that are on the team, and I’m hoping that everybody is willing to give me a chance as the coach, and come out for the team. Moving forward, I would love to send girls to state again, I would love to have relays score at state and I would love to have individuals scoring at state.”
As her first season rapidly approaches, Gensler said she is focused on building a positive and unified environment for the program’s future.
“I am excited to be on deck with the girls,” Gensler said. “I’m excited to continue the legacy that you know the swim community has. I’m excited to be part of the energy that swimming has. I know that there’s a great group of girls that are on the team currently. I know many of the eighth graders that are going to be freshmen next year that are coming onto the team. So I really just want to have a cohesive, positive environment and be part of that.”