KHS boys’ and girls’ swim and dive head coach Matt Beasley received the Missouri Boys Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year award, given by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Beasley was nominated by MSHSAA for the Boys Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year for Missouri in June 2018.

Beasley, a 2002 Parkway South graduate, was a three-time All-American in swim and dive in high school. He also went on to swim for four years at Missouri State University. Beasley became the boys’ swim and dive head coach at KHS in 2010. He said he is grateful for the opportunities he has had since he began coaching.

“I’ve had some really great kids the last nine years,” Beasley said. “I’ve been fortunate to have those good kids and we mesh well. It seems like I get the best out of them and they turn out to be really great swimmers.”

KHS athletics director Corey Nesslage has a high opinion of Beasley, who coached the boys’ team to a 10-0 record in dual meets and the girls’ team to an 8-2 record this season. Nesslage first met Beasley when he was a walking counselor at KHS, and at the time he was the boys’ program’s head coach. With the new facility finished in 2015, Beasley now teaches aquatics, and Nesslage said Beasley does a great job of both teaching and coaching.

“Both of our [swim and dive] programs are absolutely thriving right now and a lot of that can be contributed to Coach Matt Beasley,” Nesslage said. “I would not want anyone else to be the head coach of our swim programs, both on the boys and girls side.”

Beasley said he gets to know his athletes well and learns how they work best. But he is committed to his swimmers, not just in their role as athletes, but as growing people.

“[I let] them know that I want them to be a great swimmer, but I value them as a person even more,” Beasley said. “They trust me and they value our coach and athlete relationship.”