Kredich Receives Contract Extension Through 2029

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After the best collective finish in program history and an impressive showing by Vols and Lady Vols during the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tennessee Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich agreed to a contract extension through April of 2029, Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Monday.

"Matt has shown outstanding leadership in building one of the country's top swimming and diving programs here on Rocky Top," White said. "Under his direction, our program constantly sets new standards and is steadily moving toward becoming the best program in the nation!"

Throughout Kredich's tenure at Tennessee, the four-time SEC Coach of the Year guided the Lady Vols to a pair of SEC Championship titles, including the team's first-ever championship in 2020 followed by a second title in 2022. During the men's 2022 SEC Championships, he led the Volunteers to a second-place finish, which marked their highest finish since 2001.

During the 2023-24 campaign, the Vols (6th) and Lady Vols (4th) both finished inside the top six nationally in the same season for the first time in program history—just one year after leading both teams to top 10 finishes at NCAAs for the first time ever. It marked the second-best NCAA finish for the women's team ever and the highest finish by the men's team since 2001.

Tennessee brought home a combined five silver and three bronze medals from the NCAA Championships. During SECs, the Big Orange earned conference titles in eight events between both programs.

Since 2005-06, Kredich has guided Tennessee student-athletes to a combined 90 SEC and nine NCAA titles. The two programs have achieved a comprehensive total of 742 All-American certificates under his guidance, while four different Vols and Lady Vols have garnered five SEC Swimmer of the Year honors with his coaching, including 50 free national champion Jordan Crooks in 2023. A Tennessee swimmer has won the conference's top recognition in four of the last six seasons.

Over the last eight seasons, the Lady Vols have finished fourth or better in the SEC every season, while the Vols have placed inside the top three four times. At the NCAA Championships, the women currently own a streak of six straight top-10 finishes and have achieved the feat 11 times with Kredich at the helm compared to placing inside the top 10 just three times before his arrival. The Vols have posted top-15 finishes at seven NCAA meets under Kredich, including the first back-to-back (2023 & 2024) top-10 efforts at the NCAA Championships for the Big Orange since 2008 and 2009.

Bringing in some of the best talent in the world, Kredich has coached 24 Olympians who competed at Tennessee, including three medalists. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tennessee saw program-record 17 Vols and Lady Vols compete, shattering the previous record of seven from 2020 Tokyo. Throughout the week, UT swimmers won a pair of medals, broke five national records and advanced to seven finals. In addition, he and his staff have trained numerous athletes who qualified for the Olympics after their collegiate careers.

Tennessee student-athletes have excelled in the classroom with Kredich at the helm. Since 2010, the Lady Vols boast 84 first-team Scholar All-Americans and 121 total honorees. As a program, the women have earned CSCAA Scholar All-American Team recognition for 14 consecutive seasons. On the men's side, a total of 71 Vols received Scholar All-American status, with 40 recognized on the first team, since 2012-13. The program has been named to the Scholar All-American Team list during 21 of the 22 semesters under Kredich.

During the 2023-24 academic year, Martin Espernberger earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, the second time a Tennessee swimmer had won the award under Kredich's direction. Espernberger led the way as five Vols and Lady Vols received College Sports Communicators Academic All-American status after having a program-record six selections in 2022-23, bringing Tennessee's total with Kredich at the helm to 18.

With the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign, Kredich finished his 19th season on Rocky Top and 12th as head of the men's and women's programs.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jordan Crooks

Martin Espernberger

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