Andrew Grevers, who served as the interim head coach of the Mizzou Swimming and Diving programs during the 2018-19 season, had the interim tag removed from his title Friday afternoon by University of Missouri Director of Athletics Jim Sterk.
“Andrew did an outstanding job of leading our staff and student-athletes during a challenging 2018-19 season, and I look forward to watching him build upon this past year’s success in future seasons,” Sterk said. “He enjoys tremendous respect not only within our program, but within the swimming community, too, and is committed to providing a high-level student-athlete experience centered on academic and athletic excellence.”
Mizzou flourished under Grevers’ direction after Sterk named him as the program’s interim head coach in late October, 2018. The Tiger men’s team finished second at the 2019 Southeastern Conference Championships, easily surpassing the program’s previous best SEC placement of fifth. The 2018-19 Tigers produced the first men’s conference relay title in team history and senior Mikel Schreuders took home Mizzou’s first-ever SEC men’s swimming title. The women’s program placed seventh at the league meet, as seven female Tigers earned 2018-19 All-SEC honors.
“I am extremely excited to continue my coaching career with the University of Missouri and am honored that Jim Sterk has entrusted me to lead the Mizzou Swim and Dive family into our very promising future,” Grevers said. “The powerful combination of Missouri’s academics and athletics attracts some of the world’s best swimmers and divers, and allows us to provide a student-athlete experience that is second to none.
“In addition to my gratitude to Jim, I want to thank Greg Rhodenbaugh for everything he has done to prepare me for this moment, and Kim Bishop for being so helpful throughout this experience,” he added. “My family and I are so excited to contribute to the Mizzou legacy and I can’t wait to get back to work with this amazing team. M-I-Z!”
At the 2019 NCAA Championships, the Mizzou men tied for 11th and the women finished 22nd in the team standings. A total of 20 Tigers, 13 men and seven women, claimed All-America honors at the Championships, highlighted by individual first-team honors by Schreuders and senior Jordan O’Brien. The men also scored in all five relays for only the third time in program history.
Grevers helped elevate the Mizzou programs into national powers since his arrival in Columbia as an assistant coach in 2010. He was promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2017-18 season. The top seven team finishes for both Mizzou men’s and women’s programs have come over the last nine seasons, including six Top 15 NCAA placements for the women’s team and five for the men’s program.
Serving as Mizzou’s lead sprint coach, Grevers helped 22-time All-American Michael Chadwick (2013-17) emerge as one of the nation’s top sprinters and the most decorated swimmer in program history. Chadwick concluded his collegiate career with a runner-up finish in the 100 freestyle at the 2017 NCAA Championships, where he became only the fourth swimmer in history to go under 41 seconds in the event.
Andrew Sansoucie (2013-17) and Annie Ochitwa (2017-19) also thrived under Grevers’ guidance. Sansoucie, a 14-time All-American, dropped more than three seconds off his 100 butterfly time during his Tiger career and still holds Mizzou’s school record in the event. Grevers helped Ochitwa regain peak form after she transferred into the program prior to the 2017-18 season as a junior. The sprinter took down Missouri’s 100 free record in the first two months of her Tiger career, and earned nine All-America honors in her two seasons in Columbia, including a top eight finish in the 100 butterfly at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
Prior to Mizzou, Grevers served three years as a volunteer coach for both men’s and women’s swimming at Northwestern, where he helped coach several NCAA champions and national record holders. He also assisted as the men’s team which placed sixth at the 2007 NCAA Championship. Grevers also served as head coach of Wildcat Aquatics (Evanston, Ill.) from 2005-10, where the team produced three national records and 27 state records under his watch.
Grevers hails from a family of swimmers. He is the older brother of four-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers, while his mother, Anja, was a swimming coach, and his sister, Carolyn, is the current head coach of Lake Forest High School (Ill.) and Scout Aquatics.
He and his wife, Harriet, welcomed a son, Atticus, in January 2019.
Grevers replaces Greg Rhodenbaugh, who served as Mizzou’s head swimming and diving coach since being named to the position on May 5, 2010, until being placed on administrative leave last October. In accordance with the terms of his contract, Rhodenbaugh has been reassigned from his coaching position.
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