ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan head swimming coach Mike Bottom announced on Friday (Sept. 2) the addition of Kristy Brager to the coaching staff after a four-year stint at the University of Iowa. She replaces Danielle Tansel, who left the program after her husband, Bryon, accepted a coaching position at LSU.
“Kristy understands how competitive the Big Ten can be, as she’s been a part of it both as a student-athlete and a coach,” said Bottom. “She’s a great addition to our program and we can’t wait to have her on deck with our student-athletes.”
“I want to thank Mike Bottom, Rick Bishop and Bitsy Ritt for giving me the opportunity to work with such an amazing staff, team and athletic department,” added Brager. “Michigan is consistently one of the top swimming and diving programs in the country and has an incredible tradition of excellence. I’m excited to be a part of that and can’t wait to get the season started!”
At Iowa, Brager worked closely with the breaststroke and individual medley swimmers. Several swimmers excelled under Brager’s watch: Emma Sougstad earned a Top 50 world ranking in the 50-meter breaststroke and set four individual school records, while Roman Trussov was a three-time individual qualifier for the NCAA Championships and was runner-up in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. Additionally, both swimmers were NCAA All-America honorable mentions in 2016. She also served as women’s recruiting coordinator.
Prior to Iowa, Brager spent two years as an assistant coach at George Mason (2011-12). She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Dec. 2008 with a degree in economics. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Badgers (2005-08), serving as team captain as a senior and twice earning Academic All-Big Ten recognition (2007-08).
University of Michigan contributed this report.