Pitt Hires Cal Assistant Chase Kreitler as Head Coach
The University of Pittsburgh has turned to University of California assistant coach Chase Kreitler as its new head coach, the school announced Tuesday.
Kreitler spent the last four seasons as an assistant to the men’s team in Berkeley, coaching a pair of national championship squads (2019, 2022) and the runner-up in 2021. Kreitler also helped the Golden Bears to four Pac-12 titles, achieving 14 NCAA crowns (nine individual, five relay) and 54 Pac-12 conference championships (38 individuals, 16 relay). Kreitler has worked with seven swimmers who became Olympians in Tokyo and has been a U.S. national team coach since 2018.
“I am humbled and honored to accept the head coaching position at University of Pittsburgh,” Kreitler said in a university statement. “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. The University of Pittsburgh is a phenomenal academic school, located in a great city, in a state known for producing excellent swimmers and divers. 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. I can’t wait to get started at Pitt! H2P!”
Kreitler has a distinguished resume. He spent the 2017-18 season as a volunteer assistant for Greg Meehan at the Stanford women’s team. That came after two seasons working for Eddie Reese at the University of Texas’s men’s team in 2016-18, both NCAA championship campaigns.
Kreitler was an assistant at LSU from 2013-16, at Eastern Michigan from 2011-13 and his alma mater, California State Bakersfield, from 2009-11. He also coached at Club Wolverine while in Ypsilanti.
“We are tremendously enthusiastic to introduce Chase Kreitler as our new head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach,” Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke said. “In meeting with Chase, 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. His knowledge of our program, the university and Pittsburgh’s high standards as the ‘City of Champions’ made a great impression. We are thrilled to welcome Chase, his wife Liz and son John Daniel to our Pitt Family.”
Kreitler was a four-year swimmer at Bakersfield from 2005-09 and a team captain as a senior. He received his degree in exercise science in 2010 and a master’s in exercise physiology from Eastern Michigan in 2014.
“Everyone associated with California men’s swimming and diving–our coaches, staff, student-athletes, parents and alumni–could not be happier for Chase, Liz and JD,” Cal coach Dave Durden said. “Chase was fantastic for our program, and his impact on our athletes during his time in Berkeley cannot be overstated. We look forward to his continued success at Pittsburgh.”
“I’m really excited for Chase to have the opportunity to take Pitt to the next level,” said Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy. “Chase is the one of the most thoughtful coaches I have ever met. 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. Chase will be a lifelong friend and mentor!”
Pitt parted ways with veteran head coach John Hargis this spring after six years at the helm.