COLUMBIA, Ky. – Maaike Broersma and Kirsten de Goede have found the best of both worlds at Lindsey Wilson College – a nationally competitive swimming program and a welcoming and supportive campus community.
The two Blue Raiders were recently named Co-Women’s Swimmer of the Year in the Mid-South Conference, and they are a big reason the Blue Raiders are one of the top-ranked collegiate swimming programs in the country as they prepare for the NAIA National Championships, which will be held March 5-8 in Elkhart, Indiana.
“Being co-swimmers of the year is just amazing. It’s an amazing ‘dub’ for the ‘L-Dub,’” said de Goede, referring to students’ often-used nickname for Lindsey Wilson.
A math junior from Durban, South Africa, de Goede has set or helped set seven Lidnsey Wilson swimming records in her first season as a Blue Raider.
A graduate student from Bodegraven, Netherlands, Broersma already has a bachelor’s degree from Lindsey Wilson and has set or helped set 13 program records in three seasons of competition. She’s also won four individual NAIA national titles – the 100 backstroke in 2002, then the 50 freestyle, the 100 backstroke and the 200 backstroke in 2024.
Broersma and de Goede also have something else in common – they both transferred to Lindsey Wilson after competing for an NCAA Division I program.
“They’re both great swimmers, and we are fortunate to have them at Lindsey Wilson,” said Alicia Kemnitz, who is in her 15th season as Lindsey Wilson swim coach. “But their impact goes well beyond the pool because they are both such great people.”
From Washington to Columbia
For de Goede, her college journey began in southeast Washington, where she swam for Washington State University. But after two years competing for the Cougars in Pullman, de Goede sought a new environment.
She contacted her brother, James, who had been a standout swimmer at Lindsey Wilson.
“I came here because of James, and I really do love it here because of the community,” she said. “I had good friends at Washington State, but the environment there was just huge. It took me 20 minutes to walk to class. Lindsey Wilson has a calm, slower pace.”
But the slower pace of life in Columbia hasn’t slowed de Goede in the pool. This season, she set the Blue Raiders’ record for the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley, and she helped set school records in the 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay, 400 medley and 800 freestyle relay. At this year’s Mid-South Conference swimming and diving championships, de Goede dominated the 200 freestyle, anchored the Blue Raiders’ 800 freestyle relay first-place finish and won the 100 freestyle.
“She’s very competitive and outwardly so,” said Kemnitz. “When she and I talked on the phone about the possibility of her coming here, she was already telling me that she wanted to win titles.”
Columbia to New York to Columbia
After Broersma won the 2002 100 backstroke national title in her sophomore year, which was her first year of intercollegiate competition, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. She then transferred to Long Island University, where she competed in both swimming and water polo.
“I really liked it here and the people around me were very nice,” she said. “But in the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘What if?’ I wondered if I could compete at the D1 level.”
Broersma found more success in the pool at Long Island, both as a swimmer and a member of the women’s water polo team. She helped the Sharks win their first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women’s water polo tournament title and earn an NCAA postseason berth.
But Broersma said she missed the environment at Lindsey Wilson.
“I think New York as a city sounds very nice, and it is super cool to live there. But after a year of New York, it was a bit overwhelming for me,” she said. “I really appreciated the community here in Columbia. I thrive better in a smaller town.”
When Kemnitz was headed to Scandavia on vacation in 2023, she stopped off in The Netherlands to visit with Broersma and her family.
“I just thought I was going to be able to see her and her family, and when I saw her, she was like, ‘I want to come back to Lindsey Wilson,’” said Kemnitz. “Of course I said yes because she’s such a great swimmer, but even more importantly she’s just a spectacular person. She is so humble, accepting and kind.”
In 2023-24, Broersma won three more individual NAIA national titles and also earned her Lindsey Wilson bachelor’s degree with a near-perfect 4.0 grade point average. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Broersma had another year of eligibility, so she’s working on a master’s degree in business administration while she competes this year.
“I feel a little bit of pressure to do well, but my coaches and family are so supportive,” she said. “They just want us to have fun. Coach K emphasizes that, and she sees us as more than swimmers, which is important to me.”
‘A full college experience’
Kemnitz said that Broersma and de Goede are exemplars of what she hopes all Blue Raider swimmers will be like during their Lindsey Wilson career.
“One of the things I’m most proud of at Lindsey Wilson is that we are about more than just swimming,” said Kemnitz. “We care about the whole student. We want our students to graduate as well-rounded athletes who have lots of experiences besides swimming. We want them to be involved and have a full college experience.”
Broersma has worked as a lifeguard at the Doris and Bob Holloway Health and Wellness Center, and she’s been a writing tutor in the Student Success Center. She and de Goede said they have enjoyed competing with their teammates both in the Holloway Center pool, as well as playing pool in the Cralle Student Union Building.
“We spend a lot of our time with the team,” said de Goede. “We have a great team culture.”
Broersma’s career plans are still coming into focus. She might add a master’s degree in psychology to her resume, because she has a passion for the subject. As a math major, de Goede hopes to become an actuary.
Regardless of where life takes them after Lindsey Wilson, Broersma and de Goede said they will look back fondly on their time in Columbia, thanks in no small part to their welcoming host families, who have also introduced them to American culture and cuisine.
“Host families are one way you get to know a lot more about American culture,” said Broersma. “In Columbia the people are so inviting and welcoming. It’s so nice and wholesome to live here.”
For de Goede, Sunday dinners with her host family have been especially memorable, so have celebrating American holidays.
“I love that America has so many little holidays,” she said. “It’s just a reason to get together and have a big meal. I feel like Americans are much more hospitable, at least here in Columbia they are. It’s just a nice place.”
Photo: LWC SWIMMERS – Lindsey Wilson College students Kirsten de Goede, left, and Maaike Broersma were named Co-Women’s Swimmer of the Year in the Mid-South Conference. They are a big reason the Blue Raiders are one of the top-ranked collegiate swimming programs in the country as they prepare for the NAIA National Championships, which will be held March 5-8 in Elkhart, Indiana.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson College)