The days of playing games are over for former Saluki three-sport athlete Katie Wagner, but she hopes to remain close to collegiate athletics as the graduate assistant coach of a softball team.
Wagner graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education but she said she is looking to get a job as a graduate assistant for a Division I softball team. She said if she gets an assistantship, she will go for a master’s degree in sports management.
“I am still young and I feel like I would make a great coach,” Wagner said. “I have had many great experiences at SIU and I want to be able to share that knowledge with other softball players and make them better.”
Wagner said if she can’t find a coaching job, she will look to make a career as a teacher. She said she has talked to a few coaches about an assistantship but nothing is official yet.
SIUC softball head coach Kerri Blaylock said there are no assistantships available at Southern for Wagner but believes she will make a successful coach wherever she goes.
“I am very proud of her. She was one of the most competitive players I’ve ever coached,” Blaylock said. “She has great leadership skills and knowledge of the game which will be a great help to her when she becomes a coach.”
Wagner, who participated on SIUC’s softball, basketball and track and field teams, said the transition out of collegiate sports has been different but she has kept busy.
“I have been spending more time with my family which I haven’t been able to do as much in the past five years,” Wagner said. “I have also been taking more time for myself and enjoying the time I have off.”
Wagner said she was blessed to have been able to play collegiate sports and represent SIUC. She said there are aspects about playing collegiate sports that she will always miss.
“I will miss heading out onto the court or field in front of all the Saluki fans as well as the daily interaction with my teammates and coaches,” Wagner said. “My memories of what I did on the court or field will eventually fade but the relationships and bonds that I have with my teammates and coaches will stay with me forever.”