Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
In just two seasons, Chris Lindauer has clearly made his mark on the Notre Dame swimming & diving program.
After leading the Fighting Irish to a program-best 18th-place finish at the Men’s NCAA Championships in 2023, Lindauer’s squad delivered another breakthrough performance this past season, landing inside the top 10.
Led by junior Chris Guiliano, the Irish amassed 132 points, more than double last season’s total (62), to place 10th in the team race, 23 spots higher than they were the season before Lindauer joined the team (33rd in 2022 with five points). That comes despite the loss of their top scorer last year, Jack Hoagland, who transferred to SMU for his graduate season.
Guiliano scored 45 points, placing 3rd in the 200 free (1:30.38), 4th in the 50 free (18.49) and 5th in the 100 free (40.66), having set a lifetime best of 18.43 in the 50 free prelims.
He also set a PB of 1:30.36 in the 200 free leading off the Notre Dame 800 free relay that finished 17th, just shy of scoring.
Guiliano’s best times in the 50 free and 200 free marked new school records, while he set the 100 free mark of 40.62 at the ACC Championships.
The team put up big points in three of the relays, however, placing 8th in the 400 free, 8th in the 200 free and 9th in the 400 medley. Guiliano had scintillating legs in all three, splitting 17.94 in the 200 free (one of the few in history sub-18), 40.93 in the 400 free and 40.43 in the 400 medley.
The Irish set school records in all but the 800 free relay at ACCs, and managed to lower two of them again, the 200 free (1:15.42) and 400 medley (3:03.01), at NCAAs.
Sophomore Tommy Janton took a big step forward by scoring in both of his individual events, cracking the ‘A’ final of the 200 back and placing 11th in the 100 back for 17 points, setting best times and new school records in both (44.75/1:38.36)
Tanner Filion also set a PB in the 200 back to score six points in 11th place, while diver Daniel Knapp chipped in a pair of points in the 1-meter event.
Notre Dame was the most underrated top-15 team by the SwimSwam staff in our pre-NCAA power rankings, but after seeing what Lindauer has done in two seasons in South Bend, we won’t be underestimating them again next year.
This NCAA performance for Notre Dame came on the heels of a breakthrough runner-up finish at the ACC Championships, another program record.
The women’s team also managed to score at NCAAs and qualified two swimmers who both made the cut for the first time—Maggie Graves and Madelyn Christman.
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