Pitt Athletic Director Allen Greene met with athletes of Pitt swimming and diving to officially inform them of the resignation of head coach Chase Kreitler. Athletes in that meeting including, NCAA All-American Claire Jansen, have said they “sat in a meeting with Allen Greene and left with no real answers.”
Greene said in a school announcement, “When I met with our student-athletes this morning, I shared our continued desire to field a nationally competitive program, while supporting their holistic development as students and athletes. Sustaining this philosophy requires not only achieving these goals but being strategic in how we do so. That will be our focus as we search for our next head coach.”
Kreitler resigned as head coach of the men’s and women’s programs, effective immediately. The women’s program just had their highest finish in school history (t-16th) while the men’s program was 20th, their highest finish in 73 years. Kreitler said in his resignation letter he sent to SwimSwam that the “department intends to move in a different strategic direction after the 2026–2027 season.”
Jansen posted on Instagram and is collabed on the post with numerous other Pitt swimming alum including Sophie Yendell, Angelina Messina, and Jessica Strong. The group spoke on not only this experience at Pitt but also the future of Olympic Sports.
Yendell made history for Pitt at the 2025 NCAA Championships becoming the team’s first NCAA All-American in 39 years. Jansen followed that up with NCAA All-American swims this past season, finishing 4th in the 200 back and 7th in the 100 back at 2026 NCAAs. Jansen led the way as the Pitt women had their highest finish in program history at NCAAs.
Slide 1: “As current and recent University of Pittsburgh Swim & Dive athletes, we want to be clear that this reflects our own experiences, opinions, and beliefs. Pitt Swim & Dive has been instrumental in shaping who we are, both as athletes and as people. It laid the foundation for our futures, and we want that same opportunity to exist for every athlete who comes after us. We are speaking up because we care about the longevity of this program and what it stands for.”
Slide 2: “What Chase Kreitler built at Pitt was historic. Record breaking performances, All Americans, and a culture that elevated this program in every way. He created a team that was proud to represent Pitt, and committed to excellence in the pool, the classroom, and beyond. Many of us came here because of that vision, and we’ve spent years buying into it, trusting it, and helping build it.
He cared about us, not just as athletes, but as people. He built a culture rooted in integrity, gratitude, accountability, and respect. That’s why this matters so much.
And yet, we sat in a meeting with Allen Greene and left with no real answers.”
Slide 3: “We were told this decision was about “leadership” and “fit,” but given no specifics. We were told there is intent to fund the program, but no commitment to maintaining the level of support that made this success possible. At the same time, we’ve heard a desire for a more “holistic” approach, yet what Chase built was one of the most holistic programs in college athletics, balancing elite performance, academics, and genuine athlete development.
In that same conversation, blame was shifted onto Chase for communicating with athletes, and narratives were created that do not reflect the experience of those who have actually been part of this program.”
Slide 4: “Let’s be honest about what that means.
Uncertainty like this doesn’t just impact a coach, it impacts every athlete. It takes away stability, trust, and the ability to keep progressing at the level we’ve worked for. We believe it creates an environment where athletes are forced to question whether they can continue to develop here.
You don’t have to cut a program overnight to dismantle it. You can reduce support, create instability, and force it to unravel from within.”
Slide 5: “And we feel it’s impossible to ignore what this reflects. A system of class-based discrimination within college athletics, where certain sports are prioritized and resourced, while others are expected to succeed without the same level of institutional support, even at a time of historic success.
At a time when the House v NCAA settlement is reshaping college athletics, it’s hard to ignore the irony. A swimmer helped drive that conversation forward, yet Olympic sports like ours continue to be the ones facing instability and reduced support.”
Slide 6: “So what message does this send?
That even historic success isn’t enough.
That Olympic sports are only valued when it’s convenient.
That the standard isn’t excellence, it’s revenue.This isn’t just about Pitt. This is about the future of college swimming and Olympic sports.
If you care about Olympic sports and the future of college athletics, be vocal. Help protect what has given so many of us so much.”
If you’re a P4 swimmer complaining to your compliane department about 8 hours…
Slide 6 says it all…
This is the price of everyone demanding that athletes get a share in revenue.
Hate to see Chase leaving a program that he’s turned around rather quickly. As we weren’t in the room or on that campus, we will never know the real reason for his departure.
If it is for funding, that’s a damn shame because he, G Louw, and the rest of that staff have shown they can develop talent that may be overlooked by some of the larger schools. Something we all as swim fans and former athletes appreciate.
If it’s about kids not liking his approach or coaching style, it’s a damn shame. I implore athletes to give coaches a couple years to develop a relationship with and learn from and if it’s not working out, transfer.
Coaches with… Read more »
Came for the comments – and discovered an unfortunate spitball blizzard.
Folks, absolutely every successful coach in the world (saint or not) goes through a transitional period of adjustment to the program – existing roster adjusting to the coach, coach adjusting to the roster, some leave, some stay, and meanwhile here come the recruits that slowly get morphed into the new regime and the drama slowly eases.
Right, wrong, blame or love, this coach did in fact turn around a program that had been sinking.
Allen Greene was the AD at Auburn during Gary Taylor era. This could be an interesting roller coaster ride for Pitt swim & dive.
We’re speaking from our own experiences. Regardless of differing opinions on how things unfolded, our focus is on the lack of clarity, support, and what this undoubtedly means for the future of the program and Olympic sports. If we don’t speak up for our sport, who will?
Agreed. Not sure why they are trying to do all this shifting. Poor culture and leadership got us here. Great guy, great coach, but there were countless problems along the way. If they wanted to keep chase they could’ve gotten their class to stop complaining.
The resaons are speculative..but that being said , one complaint about the program or coach carries more weight in college swimming than 20 positive experiences..
It’s sad how true that is. And all it takes is one person willing to make it their mission and one poorly worded statement to tear down an amazing coach.
Luckily, I think Chase will land on his feet just fine.
North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham (colleague of the AD at PITT) was on a recent podcast talking about the inevitable bifurcation of college sports. Basically, his thought: in one set of sports you will be paid to play your game, and in the other, you will have to pay to play your sport. He thinks the whole system will end up there. Seems like ADs are starting to think like this and making decisions based on it. For example, how many tennis programs are getting wacked in the past few months.
Fortunately Bubba Cunningham is retiring in 2 months.
Unfortunately the sentiment towards Olympic sports won’t be…