University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Karissa Kruszewski Promoted to Associate Head Coach
October 18, 2022 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA swimming & diving program announced on Tuesday that Karissa Kruszewski has been promoted to Associate Head Coach.
Kruszewski, who joined the program ahead of the 2019-20 season as part of head coach Jordan Wolfrum's inaugural coaching staff, has helped the Bruins to three consecutive top-four finishes at the Pac-12 Championships, including a third-place result in 2021 that represented the program's best at the league meet since 2006.
UCLA's lead recruiter, she has brought in multiple nationally-recognized recruit classes, including this year's freshman group, which features a pair of Olympians (Katrina Bellio, Canada; Beril Bocekler, Turkey) and received an honorable mention from SwimSwam.
"Karissa has been an integral part of the success of this team since she arrived in 2019," said Wolfrum. "She manages just about every area of this program including meals, travel, team events, and equipment while consistently recruiting elite classes and coaching an outstanding squad. She is the number one reason that we can take such good care of our team."
Kruszewski primarily works with the squad's mid to long distance groups, including Paige MacEachern, Bellio, and Bocekler. Under Kruszewski's tutelage last season, MacEachern secured NCAA qualification in the 400 IM as a freshman while being voted the program's Rookie of the Year.
Other high-water marks for the program during Kruszewski's tenure include a dramatic dual-meet win over crosstown rival USC in 2021 (the program's first since 2007) and a No. 20 ranking in the latest CSCAA Top-25, the team's highest preseason ranking since 2016-17.
"Karissa's energy and enthusiasm for this program are her greatest gifts," said Wolfrum. "She gives her heart and soul to this team on a daily basis. I'm very grateful to share the deck with her."
Kruszewski is in her eighth season overall as a collegiate coach, having previously made stops as an assistant coach at UNLV (2016-19) and Cal State East Bay (2015-16). She began her coaching career as the head coach for the girl's program at Oregon High School in Oregon, Wis. from 2013-15. As a student-athlete, she earned three letters in swimming at Wisconsin, earning all-academic honors in all six of her semesters on campus.
Stay tuned to @UCLASwimAndDive on Instagram and Twitter for all team updates.
Players Mentioned
