Ultimate frisbee is not a mainstream sport, but after spending the large majority of her life competing as an ultimate frisbee athlete, Courtney Kiesow is now giving back and working to grow the game through coaching and volunteering.

A Madison, Wis., native, Kiesow played ultimate frisbee collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, and was one of the best in the game. In 2008 she won the Callahan Award– given to the most valuable players in college ultimate. After college she spent time with the Chicago Nemesis and Madison Heist women’s club teams before signing on with the Boston Brute Squad, where she was part of the 2015 national championship team.

As well as continuing to compete after college, Kiesow also took on coaching roles with various organizations. She is currently the head coach of the Carleton College women’s club team, Syzygy, and she’s guided them to the semifinals of the college national championships each of the last two seasons. She was named the North Central College Women’s Coach of the Year in 2018.

While helping to grow the game in Minnesota, Kiesow is also well known nationally. After representing the United State on the Beach World team and the Women’s Masters team, she was named an assistant for the 2021 U24 women’s National team, and she was a speaker at the 2021 USA Ultimate Coaching Convention. Kiesow is currently one of the coaches for the Minnesota Strike, which is a member of the newly formed professional women’s ultimate league.

Kiesow acknowledges that ultimate frisbee is still a little-known sport, but she’s dedicated her time to make the game she loves – and excels at – more accessible to everyone, and creating more opportunities for women in Minnesota and around the country to compete at a high level.