Jen Koester is in her second season as an assistant coach with the LMU rowing program after finishing a four-year career with the Lions in 2014.
Koester was a coxswain for the Lions, helping the LMU Open 4+ to a fourth-place finish and its first victory over USD in six years at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival as a junior. She also coxed the Varsity 8+ to a victory over WCC-Champion Gonzaga in a head-to-head and a fourth-place finish in the Grand Final at the San Diego Crew Classic that same year. In her final two seasons as a Lion, Koester steered LMU to fourth and fifth-place finishes in the Varsity 8+ races at the WCC Championships, respectively. Her efforts in 2013 helped LMU to a third-place overall finish in the WCC standings.
Serving as the coxswain for the 2V8+ as a sophomore, Koester guided the Lions to a third-place finish at the 2012 WCC Championships and a bronze medal in the 2V8+ Grand Final at the 2012 Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships.
Prior to coming to LMU, Koester swam for three years, played two years of water polo and one year of volleyball at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, Calif.
Koester competed in the 2015 Ironman Triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, finishing ninth. The race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon, a 26.2-mile run.
A WCC All-Academic honorable mention selection as a junior, Koester graduated from LMU with a communications degree and a minor in journalism in 2014.
