Sophie Peterson tabbed as new Jefferson/Cambridge girls swim coach

JEFFERSON — Three years after graduating from Jefferson High School, Sophie Peterson is back as a varsity head coach.

Peterson, 21, was hired to coach the Jefferson/Cambridge girls swim team, replacing Maddie Volk who stepped down from the position recently.

“When I heard the news they decided to hire me, I was really excited to come back to my high school and work with the girls I’ve built relationships with on JAWS (Jefferson Area White Sharks),” Peterson said.

Peterson is in her third year coaching with JAWS and second as the program’s head coach. JAWS is a swim team tailored toward boys and girls ages 5 through 18. Peterson is looking forward to coaching athletes she’s well-acquainted with at the varsity level.

“We have a lot of hardworking girls coming up as freshmen and some girls who swam in high school the last couple years who swim year round too,” Peterson said. “I hope the rest of the high school team I get to meet on Aug. 13 when practice starts are hard workers too. I’ve built a lot of relationships with some of these athletes and their families already.”

Peterson, a three-sport high school athlete who competed at the State Swim Championships as a sophomore, is studying in Carroll University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She’s halfway through the school’s 3-plus-3 program and will start physical therapy graduate classes this fall before earning her bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2025. Peterson’s goal is to land a position as a pediatric physical therapist.

As a coach, Peterson plans to put an emphasis on building relationships within the team.

“A lot of things I remember from my days competing as a Jefferson/Cambridge swimmer are the relationships with coaches, team bonding and how hard we worked,” Peterson said. “I want to translate that into coaching this fall.

“Additionally, we would like to see some personal records right away in the season, place in the top three at the conference meet and continue on the program’s tradition of having swimmers competing at the state meet.”