Coach Nancy Emerson

Nancy Emerson recently joined the Heart of Texas Family and brings with her a deep passion for coaching and athlete development. She has already enjoyed working with and getting to know many of the team’s talented swimmers. Prior to joining the team, Nancy spent four years coaching with the C3 Swim Team in Kerrville, where she became a USA Swimming certified coach.

Originally from Hialeah, Florida, Nancy began her swimming career at age 13. She served as captain of both her high school swimming and water polo teams for four years. Her water polo team won the state championship during her senior year, and she earned All-State honors. After high school, she received a full scholarship to swim at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, one of the few remaining women’s colleges in the United States, where she majored in Biology. During her collegiate career, she was a three-time National AIAW qualifier and was named an All-American among U.S. Small Colleges and Universities. Her primary events were sprint freestyle, breaststroke, and relays. In 2016, she was inducted into Brenau University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Following college, Nancy began her coaching career in upstate New York after being asked to coach a local high school boys swim team, becoming the first woman to hold that position at the school. As her family grew, she stepped away from coaching for a period before returning to coach at another school. There, she coached another boys team in an era when girls could compete but were required to meet boys’ qualifying standards. Notably, she coached a female diver who qualified for the boys’ state meet—the only girl competing at that level. After her coaching tenure, Nancy served as a New York State High School Swimming and Diving Official.

Nancy relocated to Texas in 2016, where she enjoys being closer to family. In addition to her coaching career, she has had a long and accomplished professional career as a Medical Laboratory Technologist, spanning 37 years across two hospitals in New York. After moving to Texas, she continued her work in healthcare and currently manages the laboratory at Cornerstone Clinic in Comfort.

Outside of the pool, Nancy enjoys cycling and kayaking. She is also the proud owner of a chihuahua named Bruce Wayne, who keeps her on her toes.