McKendree University Athletics

McKendree University men’s and women’s water polo coach Colleen Lischwe has announced the hiring of Hannah Ellett as the program’s new assistant coach.

Ellett will serve as an assistant for both the men’s and women’s water polo programs and serve as the head coach of the men’s club team.

The Merced, Calif., comes to McKendree after spending the last two seasons at El Capitan High School as the Head Varsity Boys Aquatics coach. During her time with the Gauchos, the school won back-to-back CCC League Championships and advanced to the semifinal round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Playoffs.

In addition to coaching in high school, Ellett was also a high school English teacher for one year at both Buhach Colony High School and El Capitan High School.

Along with her high school coaching experience the past two seasons, Ellett has spent the past two years as the head coach of the 18-&-Under and 16-&-Under Boys team for SKIP Water Polo Club. In addition, she also coached the 16-&-Under Boys team for Central Valley United during their inaugural summer season in 2022.

Ellett played water polo for local clubs and at Buhach Colony High School while growing up in Merced, Calif. Following her high school career, Ellett went on to play water polo at Whittier College where she was part of back-to-back SCAIC Championships in 2015 and 2016.

During the summer months as an intercollegiate student-athlete at Whittier, Ellett returned home to coach the 14-&-Under and 16-&-Under Girls teams for the SKIP Water Polo Club.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Whittier in 2017 and received her master’s degree in English Literature from Chico State University in 2019.