KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, April 12. IN a move that has been speculated since the end of a tumultuous season on Rocky Top, Matt Kredich has been named as the head coach of a combined men's and women's swimming and diving program at the University of Tennessee today.
“This is an exciting day for Tennessee Swimming and Diving,” Kredich said in a statement. “I feel honored to be entrusted by Dave Hart, Chancellor Cheek, and the University of Tennessee to take the helm of the swimming and diving program. This is a unique opportunity to take both teams, each of which has a proud history and tradition, and have them work together to create a swimming and diving program that will stand as an example of the best in college athletics. The mission of our athletic department is to pursue comprehensive excellence, and the swimming and diving teams do that with a passion every single day in the pool, in the classroom and in the community.”
The department needed some stability after head men's coach John Trembley was let go in mid-season due to a contract violation involving gross misconduct. While assistant coach Lars Jorgensen filled in as interim coach this year, leading the men's program to 22nd place at the NCAA Division I Men's Championships, Kredich had his best year yet at the helm of the women's program. The Lady Vols finished second in the Southeastern Conference, then put together a dream outing at the NCAA Division I Women's Championships with a seventh-place effort. That is the second-best finish ever in program history in Kredich's seventh year as the head coach of the team. Overall, nine Lady Vols became All-Americans this year, earning a total of 31 All-American certificates.
Kredich has had success leading combined programs in the past. At Brown University, he turned the women's team into a two-time conference champion, and helped the men two four consecutive winning seasons. In 1996 and 97, he was named the EISL Coach of the Year, and was also named the EISL Men's Coach of the Year in 1998.
Prior to joining Tennessee, Kredich led the Richmond women's team to its first participation in the NCAA Championships as well as its first All-Americans and conference championships. During his four years leading the Spiders, the team won four Atlantic 10 Championships.
Before his time as a head coach, Kredich served as an assistant at Harvard from 1991-92, and was an assistant for the women's team at Stanford (1990-91) and a graduate assistant at Duke (1998-90). He swam at Duke, earning all-conference awards as a seven-time U.S. National qualifier. He graduated with a B.A. in biology from Duke in 1988 and a M.A. in teaching from Duke in 1990.
Further information on the composition of the staff is forthcoming.
Full release from Tennessee on hiring
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart announced today that Matt Kredich has been named as the head coach of a combined Tennessee swimming and diving program. Kredich, the 2012 SEC Women's Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year, has served the last seven years as the head coach of the UT women's program. The 2012 team finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish for the team since 1989, when they finished fourth nationally.
The women's swimming team also finished second in the SEC swimming and diving championships this season, tied for the program's highest finish in the conference all-time and the highest finish for the program since 1990. UT also finished second in the SEC in 1988 and 1989.
“This is an exciting day for Tennessee Swimming and Diving,” said Kredich. “I feel honored to be entrusted by Dave Hart, Chancellor Cheek, and the University of Tennessee to take the helm of the swimming and diving program. This is a unique opportunity to take both teams, each of which has a proud history and tradition, and have them work together to create a swimming and diving program that will stand as an example of the best in college athletics. The mission of our athletic department is to pursue comprehensive excellence, and the swimming and diving teams do that with a passion every single day in the pool, in the classroom and in the community.
The Tennessee men's and women's swimming and diving programs will consolidate into one program under Kredich's leadership effective immediately, making Tennessee the eighth program in the Southeastern Conference to feature a combined program in the sport. Kredich now begins the process of assembling his coaching staff for the transition to a combined program.
“Matt Kredich is a very talented and bright coach who commands the attention of his student-athletes,” said Hart. “He will create a culture of discipline and success which will serve our department and our University very well. I am excited that Matt has accepted this leadership role.”
During Kredich's tenure at Tennessee, the Lady Vols have broken all 19 Tennessee swimming and diving records, including new marks in all five relays. The team has produced 32 All-Americans who have achieved a comprehensive total of 179 All-American certificates, including sophomore Tori Lamp, who claimed second in the platform competition this spring. The team has also finished in the top 15 at the NCAA Championships for a school-record seven consecutive seasons, encompassing the entirety of Kredich's leadership of the UT women's program.
Among the numerous success stories include 100m fly American record holder Christine Magnuson, who was a double silver medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games and finished her college career as a 23-time All-American, four-time SEC champion and Swimmer of the Year, NCAA champion, and Olympic Trials champion.
Kredich accepted the head coaching position of the Tennessee women's swimming and diving program on April 30, 2005. He joined UT after spending four seasons at Richmond from 2001-02 through 2004-05, when he led the Spiders to the NCAA Championships and won the Colonial Athletic Association championship in all four years. He previously served as the head coach of a combined program at Brown University for nine seasons (1993-2001).
Before assuming the head coaching reins at Brown, Kredich spent one season each as an assistant at Harvard (1991-92) and Stanford (1990-91), following two years as a graduate assistant for the men's and women's swim teams at Duke (1988-90), his alma mater.
Kredich was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer in the backstroke at Duke as a student-athlete and was a seven-time U.S National qualifier. He received a B.A. in biology in 1988 and his M.A. in teaching in 1990, both from Duke. He and his wife, Kimberley, have three sons: Benjamin, Miles, and Coleman.
The UT men's swimming and diving program finished fourth in the SEC Championships this season. The team won the NCAA Championship in 1978 and has also claimed 10 SEC titles while producing 34 Olympians, 201 SEC individual champions, and 795 All-American selections. The program was led by Lars Jorgensen in an interim capacity this year, and John Trembley was the head coach of the program for 24 seasons from 1988-2011.