University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOLS HIRE MATT KREDICH AS NEW SWIMMING COACH
April 30, 2005 | Women's Swimming & Diving
April 30, 2005
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- University of Tennessee Women's Athletics Director Joan Cronan announced today that Matt Kredich has been selected as the new Lady Vol swimming coach.
Kredich, the head women's swimming and diving coach at the University of Richmond for the past four years, brings a vast amount of experience to the job. He takes over at Tennessee for Dan Collela who resigned on March 31, 2005, after 15 seasons with the Lady Vols.
"Matt has demonstrated that he can turn programs around and get results," said Cronan. "He had a great deal of success at Brown in his nine year tenure with first the women's team and then rebuilding the men's squad. He carried that same successful work ethic into the program at Richmond.
"We're excited to have him at Tennessee. Matt is a quality person and a determined coach who can take our program to the next level," concluded Cronan.
In just four seasons at Richmond, Kredich directed a program that captured four consecutive Atlantic 10 crowns and set 50 program records. He was selected as the Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to be coming to Knoxville to be a part of such an outstanding athletic program and university," said Kredich. "The people who I've met so far have made it very clear to me and my family that this is a special place. I see great possibilities for the swimming and diving program this coming season and in the years ahead. I can't wait to get started.
"I've had a wonderful time at the University of Richmond and I am really proud of the team that is here right now. It is the most impressive group of people that I've had the opportunity to coach," he said.
Not only has Kredich's athletes excelled in the pool but he has also instilled a belief in first-class academics. Each of his teams at Richmond earned national recognition for their records in the classroom. The College Swimming Coaches of America selected the Spiders team as an Academic All-American squad from 2002-04.
Kredich joined Richmond in 2001 after nine years at Brown University. During his tenure at Brown, Kredich turned a 2-9 women's swimming program in 1992 into Eastern Women's Swimming League Champions in 1996 and 1997. His teams then moved into the Ivy League and went on to win the 1998 and 1999 Conference crowns.
Additionally, he also energized the Brown men's team which was coming off a 3-8 mark when he took over the team in 1996. He led the Bears to four consecutive winning seasons and four Top-5 finishes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League.
Following his teams' outstanding performances at Brown, he was recognized as EWSL Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1997. He also earned the EISL Coach of the Year honor in 1998. In his nine seasons with the Bears, he coached 50 All-Conference performers, four Honorable Mention All-Americans, seven Olympic Trials qualifiers, two Olympic Trials finalists and two Olympic athletes.
At Brown, his teams also excelled in the classroom. The squads' collectively achieved 12 Academic All-American team awards, five individual Academic All-America honorable mention awards, one First Team Academic All-American award and several post-graduate scholarships and grants.
Prior to coaching at Brown, Kredich was the assistant men's swimming coach at Harvard from 1991-92. He has also served as an assistant women's swimming coach at Stanford (1990-91), and a graduate assistant coach for the men's and women's swim teams at Duke (1989-90).
As a standout backstroker at Duke, he garnered All-ACC and All-Academic honors and was a seven-time U.S. National qualifier in the backstroke. Kredich received a bachelor of arts in Biology from Duke in 1988 and received his master's in teaching in 1990.
A native of Durham, N.C., Kredich and his wife Kimberley have three sons Benjamin, Miles and Coleman.
