Texas A&M Hires Blaire Anderson as Director of Swimming and Diving
Texas A&M Director of Athletics Trev Alberts announced the hiring of Blaire Anderson as the first Director of Texas A&M Swimming & Diving Monday. Anderson spent the last seven seasons on staff at the University of Virginia, most recently as the associate head coach. She will oversee both the men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs, after Texas A&M combined the programs in April of 2024.
“Blaire is a bright, energetic young coach who has recruited extremely well for a championship program at Virginia,” Alberts said. “I believe she has a vision for that same championship program here in Aggieland. We welcome her and her family to the Aggie family.”
“Coach Anderson is an exceptional recruiter who has been a major factor in breaking a program into the championship club. She also has a proven ability to connect with, develop and retain student-athletes,” said Brad Barnes, Texas A&M’s Executive Associate Director of Athletics and the sport administrator for swimming & diving. “She shares Texas A&M’s values, cares about student-athletes and is excited to build upon the tremendous success of the past while launching this program to new heights.”
Anderson arrives in Aggieland after helping guide one of the most dominant women’s swimming & diving programs in recent years to four consecutive team national titles, while helping the men’s team to five consecutive top-20 finishes at NCAA Championships.
“First off I want to thank Trev Alberts, Brad Barnes, the entire Texas A&M administration and community for welcoming me with such Aggie hospitality,” Anderson said. “I am honored to be the Director of Swimming & Diving, a new era for Texas A&M as the men’s and women’s programs combine as one team, with one vision. The legacy established by both Steve Bultman and Jay Holmes will provide a foundation for this team’s future success, and for that I am truly grateful. The pride and spirit that Aggies have is second to none and I’m excited to be a part of it. Thanks and Gig ‘em.”
She joined the Virginia coaching staff in August 2017 as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach. She served as the women’s recruiting coordinator and primary coach for the upper middle distance training group. She aided in the recruitment of the No. 1 and No. 2 women’s recruiting classes, as well as the No. 3 and No. 9 men’s recruiting classes in the NCAA.
Blaire Anderson helped guide Virginia’s women’s team to the program’s first NCAA Championship in 2020-21. The Cavaliers went on to win the national team title in each of the next three seasons, taking down a number of NCAA and American records in the process. The Virginia women’s team claimed an ACC title in six of her seven seasons in Charlottesville, and never finished lower than second in the conference during her time there.
Among the middle distance standouts Anderson worked with through her time at Virginia, was U.S. Olympian Paige Madden, guiding her to four individual national titles while with the Cavaliers and ACC Female Athlete of the Year honors while also notching the top time in the 800 free relay in 2021. Madden also represented Team USA and Virginia at the 2023 Pan American Games where she claimed individual gold in the 400m and 800m free.
On the international stage, Anderson has served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and at the 2021 Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Anderson brought eight years of coaching experience at the club and college level to Virginia. From 2016-17, she served as the assistant swimming coach and women’s recruiting coordinator at Indiana. During her time with the Hoosiers, the program captured a 2017 Big Ten Conference Championship before concluding the year with a top-eight finish at NCAA Championships by both the men’s and women’s teams.
Prior to Indiana, Blaire Anderson spent a year as the assistant swimming coach and women’s recruiting coordinator for Dartmouth (2015-16) following a five-year stint (2010-15) as the head swim coach and aquatics director for Brenau.
With Brenau, Anderson was named the 2014 NAIA Swimming & Diving Women’s Coach of the Year, while earning the Appalachian Swimming Conference Women’s Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Anderson is a four-time American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of Excellence honoree (2011-14). In 2010-11, her first season at Brenau, she became the youngest head coach in the nation.
Anderson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication, with a concentration in public relations from Georgia College and State University in 2009. The former Blaire Bachman and her husband Matthew Anderson have a son, George.
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Texas A&M Athletics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.
Trev mad a great hire