In being named the head coach of women's triathlon at Coe, Kris Tiedt takes on a new role professionally, and at Coe. Tiedt has been a member of the Kohawk coaching staff since the spring of 2010 when she was hired as an assistant men's and women's tennis coach. In the summer of 2014, Tiedt was named the head coach of Women's Tennis. Tiedt was a three-time
Iowa Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year (2013, 2014 & 2015) and led women's tennis to five-straight
Iowa Conference championships from 2011-2015 and seven straight NCAA Team Tournament appearances from 2011-2018.
Since taking charge of the Triathlon program, Tiedt has coached two athletes that appeared at the USA Triathlon National meet with Lexi Doyle and Meghan O'Connell competing at the collegiate event. The pair of Kohawks both finished above their pre-race rankings, finishing 27th and 39th overall. O'Connell returned to the National meet in 2022 and was joined by Megan Norris and Avery Babcock to make it three across the line. Norris and Babcock made it back-to-back finishes at the Collegiate National meet in 2023, helping Coe to a ninth place finish with teammate Jessica Adams.
Tiedt also serves as a strength and conditioning coach for the tennis, soccer, and golf programs at Coe. Tiedt was a competitive swimmer in high school, specializing in the 500-freestyle event. She has completed several sprint triathlon events over the course of the last 20 years, in addition to various running events ranging from 5K to half marathon. More recently, Tiedt was an official finisher at the following IRONMAN events: 2017 Boulder 140.6, 2017 Benton Harbor 70.3, 2018 Boulder 140.6, 2018 Muncie 70.3, 2018 Benton Harbor 70.3 and 2018 Madison 140.6. Tiedt has served as the instructor for triathlon training since Coe added this as a class offering in the spring of 2014. To date, every student to have enrolled in the class has crossed the finish line of a sprint triathlon at the end of the seven-week course. Tiedt has her Level I USA Triathlon coaching license and is in the process of completing the IRONMAN Coaching Certification Program. A proponent of wellness, Tiedt serves as a volunteer member on the Coe College faculty/staff wellness committee. Through this role, Coe introduced the annual spring sprint triathlon event to faculty, staff, and students in the spring of 2016. Under Tiedt's coaching, approximately 40 triathletes complete this challenge each spring. Tiedt also serves as the advisor to the student wellness committee. In 2016, Tiedt released a wellness-themed app, KT23Fit, in the Apple App Store.
An Iowa City native, her on-court achievements earned her a DI tennis scholarship to Northern Illinois University. As a Huskie, Tiedt also donned a soccer jersey her senior year, making her one of an elite group of individuals to have competed and earned a varsity letter in two sports at the Division I level. Based on her athletic success and numerous academic awards, Tiedt has been deemed "one of the most versatile and active student-athletes" in NIU history.
As a coach, Tiedt emphasizes the importance of well-rounded student-athletes. Tiedt graduated Magna Cum Laude from NIU with a major in Finance, minor in Communications and an emphasis in Accounting. Tiedt then attended graduate school at the University of Iowa, obtaining her law degree in 2005 and Masters in Business Administration, with distinction, in 2006. Tiedt is currently an inactive licensed attorney in the State of Iowa. She served as an Adjunct Instructor at Coe in the Spring of 2014; teaching Business Law. Having once served as a volunteer firefighter, Tiedt also has an FF1 license (250 hours of training).
Tiedt resides in Cedar Rapids with her husband, Eric, who serves as the head coach for the Kohawk men's tennis team, and has a daughter, Emmie.
