After a long journey, Angela Coe can say she is a Division I swimmer. 

In a life that featured back-and-forth travel between the United States and Taiwan, drives to Champaign, and countless hours in the pool, the Charleston High School swimmer made her dream official by signing her letter of intent to swim at the University of Texas. 

“I think I always knew that I wanted to be a Division I swimmer in the USA because swimming is what I love to do,” said Coe. “That’s one of the reasons I moved here. I know the process is going to be hard, but in the end, it’s all going to be worth it, for happiness and my future.”

Coe was recruited by many major schools in the nation. Coe said she talked to Texas, Virginia, California Berkeley, Michigan, Florida, Louisville, Tennessee, Ohio State, South Carolina, Albania, Arizona State, and George. 

NCAA Rules state that an athlete can take five official visits. Coe’s top five came down to Louisville, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, and Texas. 

Texas was Coe’s last visit, where everything felt like home. 

“When I visited Texas, it was the one school that made me feel like I could truly be myself,” said Coe. “When I spent time with my teammates, I could bond with them. The coaches were great and they made me feel very welcome. Overall, I just feel like going to Texas can make me succeed the most in life and swimming.”

Coe was born in Taiwan, which was the reason she had joined Charleston later in the year as a sophomore  Even thought she moved to the United States in 2018, she returned to Taiwan each summer to work on her all-around training like distance, sprints, technique. Swimming since the age of 4 because her sister swam well, Coe has been swimming year-round since she was 6 years old. 

As a sophomore, Coe put herself on the map as one of the greatest swimmers in the United States. She went a perfect 8-for-8 in school records. Most would call that a successful season, but Coe has been determined to want more, which led to her return to Taiwan. 

In 2021, Coe completed one of the greatest individual seasons an athlete from the school has ever accomplished. Coe earned two third-place medals at the IHSA state swimming championships, which included third place in the 200-individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly. Her performance was so great that she was one of three swimmers that broke the previous state mark in the 200-individual medley. Out of 29 teams, the Trojans placed second overall, just missing out on their first-ever Sectional Championship. 

Coe did not participate in Charleston this past swim season. Despite having her senior season of eligibility, she opted to swim with the Champaign Heat during the summer and put a focus on qualifying for Junior Nationals in Irvine. 

“It has been really good,” said Coe. “I missed my team at CHS, but I also need to be better for college. I think my future is bright and I’m excited for new opportunities and chances for me to grow.”

According to SwimSwam, a national swimming website, Coe will make an “immediate impact” for the Longhorns, who finished as the nation’s runner-up as a team in 2021. 

“I want to thank my family, friends, teammates, and all the coaches who helped me throughout this journey,” said Coe. “I appreciate everyone that got me to this point in life.”

All-time CHS swimming times

200 Medley Relay

* 1:54.93 Mackenzie Erixon, Angela Coe,

Ava Zheng, Molly Weber- 2021

200 Freestyle

*1:56.60 Angela Coe 2021

1:58.74 Lauren Pentzien – 2013

2:05.58 Megan Swango- 2004

2:07.43 Mackenzie Erixon- 2021

2:07.74 Jasmine Coe- 2017

2:07.91 Meghan McGrady- 2001

2:09.48 Molly Weber- 2021

2:09.88 Megan Woodruff- 2015

2:10.72 Ava Zheng- 2020

2:14.11 Alyssa Pentzien-2014

200 Individual Medley

*2:01.56 Angela Coe- 2020

2:14.86 Jasmine Coe- 2017

2:19.64 Lauren Pentzien- 2013

2:20.65 Amy Swango- 1999

2:29.47 Megan Swango – 2002

2:31.20 Alyssa Pentzien- 2014

2:32.05 Devan Finley- 2006

2:32.18 Mackenzie Erixon- 2021

2:32.87 Megan Woodruff- 2015

2:32.96 Molly Weber- 2019

50 Freestyle

*23.40 Angela Coe- 2021

24.91 Lauren Pentzien – 2011

26.32 Amy Swango- 2000

26.43 Megan Swango- 2002

26.76 Jasmine Coe- 2017

27.10 Ava Zheng- 2021

27.32 Megan Woodruff- 2014

27.55 Delaney Goddard- 2021

27.76 Abby Woodall- 2019

27.98 Alyssa Pentzien- 2013

100 Butterfly

*54.12 Angela Coe- 2020

59.75 Jasmine Coe- 2017

1:02.00 Amy Swango- 1999

1:04.85 Colleen Hussey- 2004

1:05.22 Lauren Pentzien- 2013

1:06.27 Devan Finley- 2007

1:08.13 Ava Zheng- 2021

1:08.93 Abby Woodall- 2019

1:09.33 Savannah Esarey- 2008

1:10.96 Alyssa Pentzien- 2015

100 Freestyle

*51.91 Angela Coe- 2021

54.01 Lauren Pentzien- 2011

57.26 Jasmine Coe- 2017

57.62 Megan Swango- 2003

57.75 Amy Swango- 1999

59.58 Ava Zheng- 2021

1:00.21 Megan Woodruff- 2015

1:00.57 Molly Weber- 2019

1:01.34 Alyssa Pentzien- 2014

1:03.03 Jessica Hoh- 2021

500 Freestyle

*4:57.09 Angela Coe- 2020

5:30.27 Lauren Pentzien- 2013

5:42.29 Jasmine Coe- 2017

5:44.81 Meghan McGrady- 1999

5:49.29 Molly Weber- 2019

5:55.88 Mackenzie Erixon- 2021

5:56.33 Megan Woodruff- 2015

5:58.03 Alyssa Pentzien- 2014

6:11.17 Skyler James- 2013

6:13.73 Delaney Goddard- 2021

200 Freestyle Relay

* 1:48.74 Megan Woodruff, Aden Choate,

Alyssa Pentzien, Lauren Pentzien- 2013

100 Backstroke

*56.91 Angela Coe- 2021

1:03.49 Megan Swango- 2004

1:04.54 Jasmine Coe- 2017

1:05.60 Lauren Pentzien- 2013

1:06.87 Megan Woodruff- 2013

1:07.13 Mackenzie Erixon- 2021

1:07.50 Jessica Hoh- 2021

1:07.50 Ava Zheng- 2020

1:08.51 Katrina Hoferer- 2021

1:09.49 Devan Finley- 2004

100 Breaststroke

*1:02.58 Angela Coe- 2020

1:13.71 Jasmine Coe- 2017

1:14.83 Lauren Pentzien- 2013

1:15.86 Meghan McGrady- 2001

1:17.47 Devan Finley- 2007

1:18.97 Abby Geisler- 2019

1:21.11 Ava Zheng- 2021

1:21.90 Abby Woodall- 2019

1:23.39 Nina Dubois- 2010

1:23.56 Caitlin Ebinger- 2013