Former Iowa High School Softball Coach Arrested for Sex Crimes
Just months after taking her team to the 2A state finals in Iowa, Alexis Severson has been arrested for three counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee and one count of grooming.
The former West Lyon head coach posted $10,000 bond the same day and was released from custody.
The 26-year-old from Larchwood, Iowa, was reportedly in a relationship with a student throughout the 2024-25 school year, according to complaints filed in Lyon County District Court. The complaints did not specify if the student played softball or not.
Nick Hytrek of the Sioux City Journal reported that the coach "had direct supervisory authority" over the student and had used a cell phone to communicate with the student both directly and through a third party to "entice and seduce a child into a relationship which resulted in unlawful sex acts."
Alexis Severson, 26, of Larchwood, Iowa, was arrested Friday on three counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee and one count of grooming. She posted $10,000 bond the same https://t.co/B7PhXzhwdo
— Sioux City Journal (@scj) November 3, 2025
Hytrek also reported that Severson resigned from her position at the school on Sept. 8.
Each of the four charges Severson faces is a Class D felony and carries a five-year prison sentence if convicted. She is expected in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 20.
Severson is a 2017 graduate of Rock Valley
Severson Leads West Lyon to First State Tournament Appearance in 21 Years
The Wildcats finished the 2025 season 30-2 after losing to Van Meter, 8-7, in the state championshp game. It was their first state tournament appearnce since 2004.
Iowa is the only state to play high school softball in the summer.
🏆STATE CHAMPIONS🏆
— Bound Iowa (@Bound_IA) July 26, 2025
The #1 seeded Van Meter Bulldogs are your class 2A State Softball Champions! They defeated #3 West Lyon 8-7 in the bottom of the 8th with a walk off homerun!#iahssb #ighsau #BoundIA #statechampionship pic.twitter.com/wokQBhlLbq
West Lyon took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning but Van Meter scored four to take a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
After tying the game in the sixth, the Bulldogs walked it off in the eighth to take the title.
The Wildcats entered the tournament as the third seed. Their path to the finals included a win over Cascade, 10-8, and another victory over Louisa Muscatine, 7-3.
“We wanted to see us get to that next step, and we knew what we had to do,” Severson told local news outlet KELO in July. “We had to work harder in the offseason, buckle down and figure out the things we needed to do better, and that’s what we did this year.”
After losing in the region round the past two years, West Lyon defeated Hinton, 3-1, in the Region 3 championship to secure its state tournament berth.
West Lyon is still chasing its first softball state title in school history.
Recommended Links
-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.