New North Hills swimming coach building trust within program

By: Josh Rowntree
Sunday, January 18, 2026 | 11:01 AM

Allison Ahl was looking for an opportunity to get into coaching swimming, and the perfect situation essentially fell into her lap this summer.

Ahl, who teaches and lives in the North Hills School District and who excelled as a high school and collegiate swimmer, is in her first season as the head coach of North Hills’ swimming program.

“I have always wanted to be a swim coach,” said Ahl, a native of Corry in Erie County. “It’s such a big part of my life. I love swimming and saw that they had an opening for a head coach. I applied and was able to get the job. I work in the district, so it made it nice and easy.”

Ahl, who was honorable mention all-state swimmer at Corry before going on to swim at Gannon University, now is very much learning as she goes, having never coached before.

“It’s been a big learning experience for me,” she said. “I’ve loved it all, but I’ve learned so much about the coaching aspect and running a swim team. I still have a lot to learn about.”

Ahl took over for Nicole Loutsenhizer, who led the program for the past four years. Already, she has seen a positive reception from her athletes.

“I’ve had a really great experience with our athletes, and I think that we have a lot of trust and respect for each other,” she said. “That’s something that’s super important for me is not only respecting and trusting my athletes, but they respect me and that we have a good communication and good relationship.

“It’s really important for me that they feel comfortable to come to me not only with swimming concerns, but school concerns or really anything.”

In the pool, the early returns have been solid under the new coach, with several athletes qualifying for next month’s WPIAL championships.

The North Hills girls 200-yard freestyle relay featuring Julia Nease, Emilia Mintz, Thea Crowley and Ella Crowley will compete for a WPIAL title, as will the girls 200-yard medley relay team composed of Casey Chen, Ella Crowley, Thea Crowley and Nease.

The boys 200-yard freestyle relay team has also qualified with Eli Parker, LuKas Hartung, Ian Mager and Nathan Liang.

Ella Crowley (50 freestyle), Chen (100 breaststroke) and two divers, Cassie Fritz and Noah Wolff, have earned a spot in the WPIAL championships as well.

“They’ve definitely impressed me,” Ahl said of the qualifiers. “But I also have others who have impressed me with their work ethic and their determination.”

A year ago, North Hills qualified for the WPIAL championships in the girls and boys 200 medley events. And continuing the success of the relay teams, in particular, delights the Indians’ new coach.

“I think that’s one of the best parts of being part of this team,” Ahl said. “They all work so well as a team, no matter what, from freshman to senior.

“They all support each other and work very well as a team. So that’s been great for me to see, especially coming from a very small town. I didn’t always have that aspect. So I’m very happy to see them work so well together.”

Ahl is quite aware that, in swimming, numbers are key. Participation needs to be strong and, by working and living in the district, she feels as if she’s off to an advantage when it comes to recruiting the hallways.

“It’s really important,” she said. “There are a few club teams in our area, but the one in the North Hills that is super important is North Hills Aquatics, for anyone that’s interested in swimming or wants to be involved with swimming.

“It’s great when a swimmer comes to high school and they already kind of have a background and they’ve been swimming for years. It’s really important to get that experience as early as possible.”

Beyond the medals and wins, Ahl ultimately hopes to develop young people using the sport.

“I want them to trust themselves and be confident in themselves,” she added. “There are so many events and so many things that swimmers are asked to do. It’s a mentally challenging sport and physically challenging.

“They really are a very hard-working and determined group of athletes. I just want them to be able to believe in themselves and believe in their goals.”

Tags: North Hills