2024 U.S. Olympic Selection
USA Swimming has officially announced the six coaches who will serve as assistants for Team USA at the upcoming Paris Olympics. They will work alongside women’s head coach Todd DeSorbo (Virginia) and men’s head coach Anthony Nesty (Virginia), who were selected as head coaches last fall. Also announced were the coaches who will lead the USA Open Water Team.
Click here for more details on the selection criteria and our mid-season thoughts on who might be selected. So, without further ado, let me introduce the USA Paris coaching staff.
Carol Capitani
- Erin Gemmell – 4×200 Free
The coaching situation at Texas is currently in flux, with soon-to-retire Eddie Reese still on the roster, new director of aquatics Bob Bowman and women’s head coach Carol Capitani. There are currently three groups under the Longhorns umbrella, and Gemmell was the only female athlete who made the team last season under Capitani’s tutelage. But with about seven athletes who trained in Texas recently making the team, it makes sense for Paris to have a coach from Texas.
Dave Durden, California
- Ryan Murphy – 100 Buck, 200 Buck
- Hunter Armstrong – 100 backstroke, 4×100 freestyle relay
- Brooks Curry – 4x200m freestyle relay
- Jack Alexie – 100 Free
- Abby Weitzeil – 4×100 Freestyle Relay
- Keaton Jones – 200 Buck
This was a no-brainer. The Bears welcomed back six swimmers, including most of the men’s free relay and both 200 backstroke swimmers. It’s been just under two years since longtime University of California men’s coach Darden took over as head coach of the women’s team, and the Golden Bears have been thriving. This marks Darden’s third time joining the Olympic staff, having previously served as assistant coach in 2016 and as men’s head coach in 2020 (1).
Braden Holloway, North Carolina State University
- Kathryn Berkoff – Number 100
While Holloway may only have one player on his team, he has extensive experience with international teams. He served as head coach of the men’s team at the World Championships (2022) and World University Games (2019) and was an assistant on several other teams. Additionally, DeSorbo served on Holloway’s staff at NC State during a period of rapid growth for the Wolfpack men’s team early in Holloway’s tenure.
Chris Lindauer, Notre Dame
- Chris Juliano – 200m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle
It’s pretty unusual for a college coach with only one swimmer to be named to his first Olympic team, but it makes sense. The Notre Dame men have exploded overall over the past two years under Coach Lindauer, and more importantly, this week Giuliano became the first American man since Matt Biondi to qualify in the 50/100/200 freestyle. It also didn’t hurt Lindauer that another Notre Dame-trained swimmer, Serbia’s Andrej Barna, had a great week at the Euros.
Greg Meehan, Stanford
Meehan is also a coach who trains individual athletes, but he has ample experience working with international teams. Like Holloway, he has coached numerous international teams over the past decade, having served as the women’s head coach for the Tokyo team and assistant coach for the Rio team.
Chris Plumb, Carmel Swim Club
- Alex Shackell – 4×200 Freestyle
- Aaron Shackel – 400m Freestyle
As head coach of the Carmel Swim Club, Plumb has led one of the most consistently successful club teams in the country for the past decade or so. He has served on the staff of junior international teams on several occasions, including as head coach of the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championship team. He also stepped into the senior international team role as an assistant coach for the World Championship team last summer.
Open Water Coaches – Ron Aitken (Sandpipers) and Corey Chitwood (Indiana)
The open water team will be led by two familiar faces in Aitken and Chitwood. Aitken also led the 2023 World Open Water Championship team last summer. Aitken, head coach of the Nevada Sandpipers, has Sandpipers swimmers Katie Grimes and Claire Weinstein on his pool team, with Grimes also set to compete in the open water competition. Somewhat surprisingly, Indiana head coach Ray Roos was not selected for the pool staff despite fielding four swimmers on his team, but Chitwood’s selection ensures that the Hoosiers will be represented in some capacity. Additionally, several other Indiana swimmers will represent other countries in Paris, so keep an eye out for Roos at the meet.
