Chase Kreitler served on the California men's swimming & diving program's coaching staff as an assistant coach for four seasons from 2018-19 to 2021-22. He left Cal following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season when he was named the University of Pittsburgh's head coach for men's and women's swimming & diving on April 26, 2022.
Kreitler helped Cal continue as the premier collegiate and post-graduate program in the country alongside head coach David Durden. His four-year Cal tenure was bookended by NCAA team championships in 2019 and 2022, along with a 2021 NCAA runner-up finish, four consecutive Pac-12 Conference team championships (2019-22), nine individual NCAA champions & five relay NCAA titles. In addition to 199 total All-America swims during Kreitler's time at Cal, the Bears had at least one All-American in every swimming event at the 2019 and 2021 NCAA Championships.
Kreitler was instrumental in Cal's training for, and eventual success at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo – eight Bears competed in Tokyo and totaled four medals – as well as the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, which saw nearly two dozen Bears compete. He served on Team USA's coaching staffs at the 2019 World University Games and the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.
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Kreitler was away from the program on paternity leave for the final two months of the 2021-22 NCAA season but saw from afar the Bears reach the collegiate swimming pinnacle for the second time in his Cal tenure. Behind two individual NCAA titles by Destin Lasco in the 200 backstroke & Hugo González in the 400 individual medley and an NCAA relay title in the 400 medley relay, the Bears totaled 487.5 points & bested the field by a 51-point margin at the four-day meet in Atlanta, Georgia.
In their 2021 NCAA Championships runner-up finish, the Bears accumulated a staggering 568 swimming points, the most-ever by a second-place finisher. Cal won three individual and two relay titles while 13 Bears hauled in a total of 50 All-American honors.
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Cal ended the 2018-19 season – Kreitler's first on staff – on top as it won its sixth all-time NCAA team championship and first since 2014. The Bears completed the championships with five NCAA event titles en route to accumulating 560 points and posting an 85-point margin over runner-up Texas. Thirteen Bears earned 49 total CSCAA All-American honors for the 2018-19 season. Kreitler worked closely with 2019 NCAA Swimmer of the Year Andrew Seliskar, who completed an individual sweep of the 200 free, 200 breast and 200 IM events at the 2019 national meet.
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Most recently prior to arriving in Bear Territory, Kreitler was the Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Stanford women’s swimming program.
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Before his time at Stanford, Kreitler spent two seasons (2016-17, 2017-18) as the Volunteer Assistant Coach with the University of Texas men’s team, helping the Longhorns to two national team titles. Texas swimmers accounted for 10 individual and four relay national champions, eight NCAA records, seven American records and 16 UT team records during Kreitler’s time in Austin. Kreitler worked directly with all of Texas’ training groups, performed video analysis and assisted with recruiting.
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From 2013-16, Kreitler spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Louisiana State University. Kreitler helped LSU's Frank Greeff to a 10-place finish in the 200 butterfly at the 2014 NCAA Championships and a silver medal in the 100 butterfly at the 2015 SEC Championships. All totaled, Kreitler coached seven individuals to LSU program records in his three seasons. In addition, LSU increased its number of Olympic Trials qualifiers from seven in 2012 to 17 in 2016 with Kreitler on staff.
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Prior to LSU, Kreitler was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University (2011-13) and helped lead the men’s swimming & diving program to back-to-back Mid-American Conference Championships in 2012 and 2013. Kreitler worked with two-time All-American Jacob Hanson and the combined men’s and women’s programs broke 20 team records. While in Michigan, Kreitler also coached for the nationally renowned USA Swimming team, Club Wolverine. In the summer of 2013, he helped lead Club Wolverine to a first-place team finish at the Central Zone Sectional Meet.
Kreitler's earned his first coaching opportunity with his alma mater California State University, Bakersfield, where he spent two seasons (2009-11) as an assistant coach. A total of 10 CSUB swimmers broke team records during his time with the Roadrunners and the team won the 2010-11 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title, its first Division I conference championship.
Kreitler swam at California State University, Bakersfield from 2005-2009 where he was a co-captain as a senior. He was named the university’s outstanding student in student exercise science.
Chase, his wife Liz (Thurston), their son JD, and their dog Jazz lived in Oakland. A native of Valley Village, Calif., Kreitler completed his undergraduate degree in exercise science from California State University, Bakersfield in 2010 and his master’s degree in exercise physiology from Eastern Michigan in 2014.
Last updated: June 29, 2022
