Ultimate Test In: 4th Year Power Four Head Coaches Assessment 2025-2026

It is the ultimate replace in our “new” head coaches assessment, and at this time we’re trying on the 4th 12 months head coaches from the Power Four applications.

Just just like the Third-year coaches, we’re focusing particularly on energy 4 coaches to streamline the assessment course of to only energy 4 faculties.

Neil Versfeld, Georgia Men

The Georgia males have been robust beneath head coach Neil Versfeld, and had been steadily bettering their NCAA performances over the past 4 years. In 2025, they completed seventh with 238.5 factors, doubling their 2024 rating of 116 factors once they completed eleventh.

They had been on monitor to have one other robust season this 12 months, till star swimmer Luca Urlando pulled out of the meet shortly earlier than it started on account of an undisclosed “minor” damage. Urlando would have helped tremendously in particular person and relay occasions, and with out him the Bulldogs dropped of their general end.

The Bulldogs did have a couple of robust performances from different athletes like senior Ruard van Renen and freshman Sean Green. Green scored in two occasions as a freshman, seeing huge time enhancements throughout his first 12 months with this system.

With Urlando probably returning for yet another 12 months (he has six years of eligibility as a result of Covid extension and a redshirt season), the Bulldogs can be attempting to interrupt again into the highest 10 subsequent season, however they’ve thrived beneath Versfeld.

Stephanie Williams Moreno, Georgia Women

The Bulldog ladies additionally obtained a brand new head coach in 2022, and the most important story out of this system this 12 months was the addition of main scorer Kennedi Dobson, who burst onto the scene with huge drops and scored in all three of her occasions as a freshman.

While Dobson is a large particular person scorer, she is proscribed together with her relay contributions on account of her standing as a major distance swimmer. UGA has an enormous recruiting class coming in, although, and Williams Moreno has confirmed her ability at creating athletes throughout the board. With the suitable collection of occasions, they may discover themselves difficult for a top-10 spot in 2027.

Lea Maurer, USC

The USC Trojans have seen some ups and downs beneath the tutelage of Lea Maurer. The ladies had a couple of robust years for the ultimate two seasons within the Pac-12, ending because the runner-ups in each 2023 and 2024. They have completed fifth their final two years within the Big Ten, however dropped a couple of factors from 2025 to 2026.

They have additionally dropped within the NCAA placements over the previous couple of seasons, although a few of that may be attributed to Kaitlyn Dobler graduating. Minna Abraham has thrived whereas coaching with this system, although she handled damage this season and missed the Big Ten Championships. She was again for NCAAs, the place she completed 4th within the 200 free, seventeenth within the 100 again, and twenty third within the 100 free.

On the lads’s aspect, they’ve additionally been just a little up and down, and had their highest end beneath Maurer this 12 months, ending 14th general. The high two scorers, Moritz Wesemann and Laurent Gosselin-Paradis, had been each divers. Michal Chmielewski was their solely particular person swimming scorer with 12 factors.

Chase Kreitler, Pitt

This assessment is bittersweet for the Pitt staff, who will return to teaching opinions subsequent season after Chase Kreitler left this system earlier this month following historic success with the Panthers.

One of essentially the most clear examples of a coach bettering this system got here from Pitt, the place the ladies had their first NCAA relay in 19 years, and Sophie Yendell was the best ladies’s NCAA finisher in program historical past after she took fifth within the 50 free. Along with Claire Jansen, they grew to become the primary two Pitt ladies to attain on the meet since 1984.

In 2026, the ladies continued to excel, ending sixteenth at NCAAs, their highest end within the historical past of this system. Jansen completed 4th in 200 again, taking up Yendell’s title as the best finisher in Pitt historical past.

The males additionally noticed NCAA enhancements, although they dropped on the ACC Championships (a few of that drop got here from the addition of applications to the convention and the return of Notre Dame). At NCAAs, they completed twentieth general, their greatest end in 73 years, partially because of the event of sophomore Julian Koch.

Pitt not too long ago employed head diving coach Katie Kasprzak to steer this system because the Director of Swimming and Diving. They can be hiring a brand new swimming coach to take over that side of this system.

Jonas Persson, Utah

The University of Utah employed Jonas Persson in the beginning of the 2022-2023 swim season, and the lads’s staff has seen vital enhancements beneath his management, whereas the ladies have stayed comparatively regular of their efficiency, although dipping this 12 months.

The Utah males had a really robust efficiency on the Big 12 Championships, scoring 1305 factors after enormous swimming performances from Nick Chirafisi, who received the five hundred freestyle, and Evan VanBrocklin, who received the 200 IM.

Both males went on to the NCAA Championships, however the one staff scorer was diver Elias Petersen, who scored on all three boards.

Persson not too long ago signed a contract extension by means of 2031, and can be with the Utes for some time to come back.