Kasey Crawford starts her ninth season as the UW-La Crosse head gymnastics coach in 2024-25.
UWL won the 2018 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship under Crawford, the Eagles' league-record 24th conference title in school history. UWL placed second at the 2017 and 2023 WIAC Championships under Crawford, third in 2020, 2022 and 2024 and fourth in 2019. The 2021 league meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
The team has earned 52 All-WIAC awards under Crawford. UWL's Cate Sandvik was selected the 2022-23 WIAC Co-Gymnast of the Year while Claire Robbins was named the 2023-24 WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
Kasey Crawford has led UWL to four top-three NCGA finishes.
UWL placed second at the 2017, 2018 and 2023 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships. UWL has finished in the top-two at 36 national championships. The Eagles finished third at the 2022 and 2024 national meets. UWL qualified for the 2020 NCGA Championships, but the meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat. The meet was also canceled in 2021.
Crawford was named the 2022-23 WIAC and NCGA Coach of the Year. She is the second coach in school history to earn the NCGA Coach of the Year, joining Barbara Gibson. Gibson earned the honor six times (1989, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2015).
The Eagles have won an NCGA record 17 (1986, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2016) titles. UWL has earned 33 NCGA All-America honors in Crawford's eight seasons, including five national champions.
Kari Willett captured the 2016 NCGA title on the balance beam while Dani Barmore won the 2017 vault crown and Sam Weyker the balance beam. UWL's Samantha Wiekamp was named the 2017-18 NCGA Senior Athlete of the Year. Kerrie Legault captured the national crown on the uneven parallel bars in 2021-22 while Rachel Chesley won the crown in 2022-23.
Prior to being named interim head coach after Gibson announced her retirement July 25, 2016, Crawford served as an assistant coach at UWL for eight years. She earned the 2015-16 NCGA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year award after helping lead UWL to its second straight national title. Crawford was named the 2011-12 and 2012-13 NCGA North Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year as UWL placed third at the 2012 NCGA Championships and second in 2013.
Crawford was a four-year letter winner and two-year team captain at UWL, competing from 2004-08. A member of three NCGA Championship teams (2005, 2006, 2008), Crawford earned five career NCGA All-America honors. She earned All-America accolades in the all-around (2005), uneven parallel bars (2005 and 2008); vault (2005) and balance beam (2008).
Named the 2007-08 WIAC Scholar-Athlete, Crawford earned three career all-conference honors. She placed fourth on the vault at the 2005 WIAC Championship while finishing fifth on the uneven parallel bars in 2007 and sixth in 2008. She was a two-time WIAC Athlete of the Week selection. Crawford was named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll all four years and was a 2007-08 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Second Team selection.
In the last 16 years, UWL has won five NCGA championships and four WIAC crowns. UWL gymnasts have earned a total of 102 NCGA All-America honors in the last 16 seasons.
Crawford, a certified USAG (USA Gymnastics) Level 10 judge, completed four years as an assistant sports performance coach in UWL's Sports Performance Center. She was also an instructor in UWL's Exercise Sport Science Department.
She and her husband, Mike, have two children, Kinsley and Keaton.
