A former Iowa high school softball head coach has received her sentencing for her involvement in a sexual exploitation case.

Alexis Severson, who led West Lyon High School to the 2025 Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Championship title game in Class 2A, was sentenced to a deferred judgment, according to a report by KCAU.

Severson had been facing three counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee and one count of grooming in late 2025 when she first entered a not guilty plea. However, the 27-year-old from Larchwood, Iowa, entered a guilty plea earlier this year.

Alexis Severson Entered Guilty Plea That Is A Felony

Her guilty plea included one count of sexual exploitation by a school employee and one count of sexual exploitation by a counselor/therapist. The sexual exploitation by a school employee is a felony while the other is an amended aggravated misdemeanor.

Severson must pay a statutory civil penalty of just over $1,000 and has been placed on probation for two to five years in addition to her deferred judgment. She must undergo a mental health evaluation and other treatments as recommended by health care professionals and her probation officer.

In addition, Severson must pay a fine of $855 and complete a sexual offender evaluation, according to a report by the Northwest Iowa Review. The report indicates that the victim was a senior member of the West Lyon softball team during the time of the relationship.

Attorney For Severson, State Offer Thoughts On Ruling

“Time goes on. Supervision ends,” said Lynn County attorney Nolan McGowan, who represented the state of Iowa in the case. “If this defendant is granted deferred judgment, it’s entirely possible that someday she will be able to convince school authorities somewhere else that she is a worthy person of coaching athletics, and that should not be permitted to happen.”

Along with her attorney, Jared Weber, Severson appeared in the Lyon County Courthouse in Rock Rapids to receive her sentencing earlier this week. 

“I don’t think jail time in a case like this has any deterrent effect on somebody who will, for the next 10 years, as the court knows, have to register on a sex offender registry,” Weber said.

Former Iowa High School Softball Head Coach Issued No-Contact Order With Her Victim

There has also been a no-contact order issued between Severson and the victim.

According to court documents, Severson enticed and seduced a student into a relationship between August 2024 and May of the following year. That relationship included unlawful sexual acts between the two, including kissing and touching.

Alexis Severson: ‘I cannot change the past, but I can choose who I become going forward’

During the sentencing, Severson offered up a statement, thanking those who remained by her side through it all.

“Their support has reminded me that I still have the opportunity to become a better person,” she said. “I pled guilty because I accept responsibility for what I did. I cannot change the past, but I can choose who I become going forward.”

Severson graduated from Rock Valley High School in 2017. She was hired as the head softball coach at West Lyon prior to the start of the 2024 season, coaching them through the 2025 state runner-up run.

In her two seasons, Severson compiled a record of 52-6.

West Lyon school officials did not renew Severson’s contract following the conclusion of the 2025 high school softball season.