The University of Pittsburgh has put the finishing touches on its coaching staff overhaul for the 2024-25 season, announcing Michael Kinross as the team’s new assistant swim coach.
Kinross joins the Panthers after eight years with the Sandpipers of Nevada, one of the premier clubs in the country, along with spending the past seven seasons as head coach at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
“We are very excited to add Michael Kinross to our coaching staff.” said Pitt head coach Chase Kreitler. “Michael has built a fantastic résumé coaching at one of the premier USA Swimming club teams in the nation over the past eight years.”
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Kreitler, who finished up his second year as the team’s head coach last season, will have a new-look staff working under him this season after several changes over the last three months.
Last season’s associate head coach Samantha Pitter was hired as the head coach at Miami (Ohio), while assistant coaches Roman Willets (stepping away from coaching), Kevin Arakaki (Louisville assistant) and Kelsey Reott (Princeton assistant) also moved on.
Kreitler has brought in Gideon Louw as the new associate head coach, Ford McLiney (diving) and Kaersten Meitz as assistants, and promoted Zach Breeding to assistant coach as well.
Now, he finishes off the group with the addition of Kinross, who brings plenty of experience to the table and has a proven pedigree of developing swimmers and pushing them to the next level.
Working alongside head coach Ron Aitken, Kinross directly coached 20 high-level senior athletes with the Sandpipers, including six who qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. The program is renowned for its ability to develop distance and open water swimmers, with Kinross notably being named to the U.S. staff at the 2022 Open Water Junior World Championships.
During his time with the Sandpipers, Kinross took over as head coach Bishop Gorman High School in 2017, and was named NIAA 5A Southern Regional Boys Coach of the Year in 2023.
“He is an extremely knowledgeable and passionate coach who will be a fantastic recruiter and on-deck coach for our team. He will work closely with our middle distance and distance groups.” Kreitler said. “As we look to continue to move up nationally and in the ACC, I believe Michael will play a key part in helping us achieve those goals!”
Prior to moving to Las Vegas, Kinross was the head age group coach and assistant head coach with the Barrington Swim Club in Barrington, Illinois. He helped push the club into USA Swimming Silver Medal status in 2016 and coached multiple state champions and three state record holders.
Kinross swam collegiately at Eastern Michigan University, helping the Eagles to three Mid-American Conference Championship titles while receiving All-AMC Academic Honors.
The Pitt women were 10th out of 11 teams at the 2024 ACC Championship while the men were 7th out of 11 teams. Both programs sent two individual swimmers to NCAAs; the men tied for 24th as diver Cameron Cash, the ACC Men’s Diver of the Year, scored 24 points.
Given the success experienced during his time with the dominant distance program that is the Sandpipers, it’s no surprise to see Kinross take the reins with the mid-distance and distance freestyle groups at Pitt. The Panthers return their top distance swimmers from last season in Alex Craft, Michal Piela and Guy Frimis on the men’s side, and Tess Mock for the women. Craft was their top finisher in a distance event last season at ACCs, placing 11th in the men’s 1650 free.
Pitt also brings in some intriguing distance prospects in Kimmy Shannon (4:47 in the 500) for the women, and Brandon Richter (4:30/15:39 in the 500/1650) for the men.
Kreitler and Kinross had a brief overlap at Eastern Michigan. In the 2011-2012 season, Kreitler was a graduate assistant for the team during Kinross’ senior season as a swimmer on that team.
Why leave a thriving club right now to potentially have men’s collegiate swimming fizzle out in a couple years and have to fight for another club job with a more competitive candidate market?
Why leave a thriving club for the dying college scene? Just a thought.
Great hire! Can’t wait to see what Pitt can do this year!
Amazing hire! They are so lucky to have him! Michael, you will be missed!!!🥹
Not knocking the Pitt swimmers at all with this post. This observation is about the staff.
Kreitler & Co. are trying to move up in the ACC. Recruiting their way up with new athlete talent, hiring their way up with new coaches (who will be on board with Kreitler), and finally, challenging the existing team in every way they can, to move up. But there are eggshells that will be broken in the process.
Here’s hoping that this program can compete in the (new) ACC, and gain some ground.
Great hire! Those swimmers are lucky to be getting such a passionate and invested coach!
Finally Pitt hires someone who had to coach and develop swimmers to eat and live. Instead of assistants that only have experience recruiting. Thank you Chase, this is the only way to move up the ACC ranks.
😠Micheal, you made us all so much better. Its been a hard few weeks for all of us, but I’m so happy and proud of you to take this next step in your coaching journey! Can’t wait to watch ACCs and be yelling at the live stream for the Panthers! Apologies in advance for texting you during the sessions, maybe block my number for a few days.
Love you brother and see you soon 🫡
SCS will miss him as well, wishes him well!!. Congrats Coach!!!!!
Welcome to the family Michael! Hail to Pitt!
I second that Jonti.