Maggie Nesselroade, Contributing Writer
Head men’s and women’s swimming coach Alex Keyser brings the active lifestyle to a whole new level. When he’s not instructing swimmers in the Luce Center, Keyser enjoys running, biking and swimming. He also competes in half-marathons, marathons and triathlons — he is currently training for the Boston Marathon in April. Spending time with his wife and little daughter Emma involves quite a bit of Keyer’s daily activity as well.
Keyser has brought his energy and love for activity to the swim team and Asbury’s athletic department in general. After growing up in southern Illinois and swimming at Lincoln College for his freshman year, Keyser decided to go a different direction. “Sophomore year, I went home to community college, swam with my club team and tried to figure out life a bit and where I would go,” said Keyser.
It wasn’t until his junior year that Keyser decided to attend Asbury. While at AU, he made quite a name for himself: He was a men’s team captain and school record holder, and he placed in the top 16 at NAIA Nationals in individual events and relays. But Keyser’s story at Asbury was not done once he finished his swimming career.
“I had an extra semester to finish, and my coaches asked me to help out,” said Keyser. “I ended up being an assistant for two years.” He then moved on to be the head swimming coach at Malone University in Canton, Ohio, until the athletic director at Asbury contacted him and asked him if he would like to come be the head coach of the Eagles. “It was a no brainer for me,” said Keyser.
As the head swimming coach, Keyser has had a tremendous amount of success. In this past season, Keyser had the privilege of coaching Alex Wu as he won the 200 butterfly at Nationals. Overall, the Eagles have made several appearances at Nationals and broke multiple school records.
Additionally, Keyser coached the women’s swim team to victory as they won the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship in 2017.
Aside from coaching them in the water, Keyser enjoys getting to spend time with the swimmers and watch them grow in other areas. He had the privilege of baptizing one of the swimmers on the women’s team during a mission trip in Puerto Rico. “I love building relationships with our student athletes,” said Keyser.
