Pitt’s new swim coach Chase Kreitler worked with national champions at California, Olympic gold-medal winners
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Pitt’s swim program will move in a new direction for the first time in six seasons, with the hiring of Chase Kreitler as its new coach. The university announced Kreitler’s appointment Tuesday morning.
He replaces John Hargis, who had served as swim coach since 2016-17.
Kreitler was an assistant at NCAA power California for the past four years, helping the Golden Bears win national championships this season and in 2019. Cal was national runner-up in 2021 and was Pac-12 champion in each of Kreitler’s four seasons.
Kreitler served under Cal coach David Durden, a six-time National Coach of the Year, helping swimmers achieve 184 All-America swims, 14 NCAA titles (nine individual and five relay) and 54 Pac-12 championships (38 individual and 16 relay).
He has been a U.S. National Team coach since 2018, working with seven 2020 Olympians, including gold medal winners Ryan Murphy and Tom Shields. Kreitler also has experience as an assistant coach at the World University Games in 2019 and Pan Pacific Championships in 2018.
He has been assistant swim coach since 2009, starting with his alma mater, California State, Bakersfield; Eastern Michigan, LSU, Texas and Stanford.
“Chase was fantastic for our program, and his impact on our athletes during his time in Berkeley cannot be overstated,” Durden said in a statement. “We look forward to his continued success at Pittsburgh.”
Murphy said Kreitler will remain a “lifelong friend and mentor.”
“Chase is the one of the most thoughtful coaches I have ever met,” he said. “He is a constant learner and seeks improvement for his athletes. It was a joy to work with Chase these past four years, even when he put me through some very challenging practices.”
“In meeting with Chase,” Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke said, “it was apparent that he is in the coaching profession for all the right reasons and is fully prepared to lead Pitt swimming into an exciting future.
“He prioritizes building impactful relationships with his student-athletes well beyond the pool. Having worked for some of the most accomplished head coaches in the sport, Chase has an exceptional understanding of how to build a strong team culture that is both competitive and unifying.”
“I am humbled and honored to accept the head coaching position at University of Pittsburgh,” Kreitler said. “I am incredibly grateful to Heather Lyke, Wendy Meyers and the search committee for putting their trust in me to lead the Pitt swimming and diving program. This is an incredible opportunity to build a really special program that will be very competitive within the ACC and NCAA.
“I have been very fortunate throughout my career to work with some great coaches, teams and student-athletes, and I know what it takes to build a championship culture and help student-athletes reach their academic and athletic potential.”