Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Karissa Kruszewski joined the UCLA swim and dive program as an assistant coach before the 2019-20 season, and was promoted to Associate Head Coach on Oct. 18, 2022.
Overall, UCLA has gone 18-12 in dual meets and finished top-four at Pac-12s in all four of her previous seasons on staff.
Kruszewski (pronounced kroo-SHEF-skee) helped the Bruins to a standout campaign in 2019-20, her first year on staff. The Bruins posted a 7-3 record in dual meets, placed fourth at the Pac-12 Championships, and qualified five student-athletes for NCAA Championships before the season was cut short by COVID-19.
Despite a shortened training and competition schedule due to COVID-19, the Bruins had another standout year under Kruszewki's tutelage in 2020-21. UCLA went 2-1 in dual meets (including the program's first win over USC since 2007), placed third at the Pac-12 Championships (the program's best finish since 2006), and sent nine student-athletes to the 2021 NCAA Championships. The Bruins' performance at Pac-12s was one of the program's best in recent years, with 14 "A" Finalists and a pair of relay podiums.
The Bruins put together a solid campaign in 2021-22, securing a third-consecutive top-four finish at the Pac-12 Championships. The Bruins had 45 finalists at the league meet (including 11 A Finalists) and set a school record in the 400 medley relay (3:32.53). UCLA went on to send four student-athletes to the NCAA Championships, highlighted by an All-American performance in the 50 free from Claire Grover, who became the first UCLA swimmer to score at NCAAs since the 2017-18 season.
UCLA had arguably its strongest season yet under Kruszewski in 2022-23, winning six consecutive dual meets to open the campaign and recording the program's most NCAA qualifiers (seven) and All-Americans (five) in over six years. The Bruins set five school records over the course of the year, including standout efforts in the 400 free and 200 medley relays. UCLA also notched another top-four finish at Pac-12s and broke the 1,000-point barrier for the first time since 2017 (exempting 2020, in which the league meet didn't have full participation due to COVID-19 measures).
Prior to arriving at UCLA, she spent 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 both 2017-18 and 2018-19, 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 completed her M.S. in organizational change leadership from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, in 2020.
