LOS ANGELES – UCLA swim and dive head coach Jordan Wolfrum announced on Thursday morning the hiring of Karissa Kruszewski as the program's new assistant coach. Kruszewski most recently served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for men's and women's swimming and diving at UNLV.
"I am delighted to announce the addition of Karissa to our staff," said Wolfrum. "Her ability to connect with student-athletes, her passion for the sport, and her competitive drive are the reasons I hired her. I'm excited to share the deck with her and learn from her experiences. We can't wait to get started with the Bruins."
Kruszewski (pronounced kroo-Shef-skee) spent the last three seasons at UNLV (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19), working primarily with middle distance and distance swimmers. As the recruiting coordinator for the program, she was responsible for building each of UNLV's recruit classes while planning and managing all recruiting visits. Kruszewski also collaborated with the head coach to design and implement training programs for both the men's and women's squads.
In each of the last two years, she helped produce the Freshman of the Meet at UNLV's league championships, as Brad Gonzales accomplished the feat in 2018 after winning a WAC Championship in the 1650 free while Carissa Armijo was honored after finishing second in the 500 free at the 2019 Mountain West Championships. The Rebels broke three school records during Kruszewki's tenure.
Prior to joining the staff at UNLV, Kruszewski spent one year (2015-16) as the assistant coach, recruiting coordinator, and academic supervisor at Cal State East Bay. That year, the Pioneers set four school records, notched 17 NCAA B Cuts, and placed six student-athletes on the All-PCSC Team. Cal State East Bay would go on to finish second at the 2016 PCSC Championships.
She started her coaching career as the head coach for the girl's program at Oregon High School in Oregon, Wis. and for the men's program at Stoughton High School in Stoughton, Wis. from 2013-15.
Kruszewski was a three-year letterwinner at the University of Wisconsin, earning Big Ten Academic All-Conference honors in all six of her semesters. She began her collegiate career at UC Irvine in 2008 where she was named a Scholar-Athlete.
The Murrieta, Calif. native earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Wisconsin in 2013, and received a certificate in organizational leadership and communication from UC Irvine in 2016. She is currently pursuing an M.S. in organizational change leadership from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville.