By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
It is the final update in our “new” head coaches review, and today we are looking at the 4th year head coaches from the Power Four programs.
See Also: First Year Head Coaches Review Second Year Head Coaches Review Third Year ReviewJust like the 3rd-year coaches, we are focusing specifically on power four coaches to streamline the review process to just power four schools.
Neil Versfeld, Georgia Men
Year Conference Standing NCAA Standing 2022 (pre-Versfeld) 4th, 919 points 8th, 194 points 2023 5th, 828.5 points 12th, 96 points 2024 3rd, 1042 points 11th, 116 points 2025 4th, 796.5 points 7th, 238.5 points 2026 4th, 721 points 15th, 64.5 pointsThe Georgia men have been strong under head coach Neil Versfeld, and were steadily improving their NCAA performances over the last four years. In 2025, they finished 7th with 238.5 points, doubling their 2024 score of 116 points when they finished 11th.
They were on track to have another strong season this year, until star swimmer Luca Urlando pulled out of the meet shortly before it began due to an undisclosed “minor” injury. Urlando would have helped tremendously in individual and relay events, and without him the Bulldogs dropped in their overall finish.
The Bulldogs did have a few strong performances from other athletes like senior Ruard van Renen and freshman Sean Green. Green scored in two events as a freshman, seeing massive time improvements during his first year with the program.
With Urlando potentially returning for one more year (he has six years of eligibility due to the Covid extension and a redshirt season), the Bulldogs will be trying to break back into the top 10 next season, but they have thrived under Versfeld.
Stephanie Williams Moreno, Georgia Women
Conference Standing NCAA Standing 2022 (pre-Williams Moreno) 4th, 986 points 15th, 104.5 points 2023 6th, 756 points 16th, 90.5 points 2024 5th, 822 points 13th, 116 points 2025 4th, 689.5 points 16th, 58 points 2026 8th, 604 points 15th, 63 pointsThe Bulldog women also got a new head coach in 2022, and the biggest story out of the program this year was the addition of major scorer Kennedi Dobson, who burst onto the scene with massive drops and scored in all three of her events as a freshman.
While Dobson is a huge individual scorer, she is limited with her relay contributions due to her status as a primary distance swimmer. UGA has a huge recruiting class coming in, though, and Williams Moreno has proven her skill at developing athletes across the board. With the right series of events, they could find themselves challenging for a top-10 spot in 2027.
Lea Maurer, USC
Women Men NCAA Standing Conference Standing Year Conference Standing NCAA Standing 16th, 102 points 3rd, 1373.5 points 2022 (pre Maurer) 4th, 449 points 26th, 25 points 12th, 125 points 2nd, 1267.5 points 2023 5th, 314.5 points 22nd, 31 points 8th, 200 points 2nd, 1291 points 2024 5th, 394.5 points 22nd, 31 points 11th, 130 points 5th, 835 points 2025 4th, 878 points 15th, 80 points 14th, 66 points 5th, 768 points 2026 7th, 707.5 points 14th, 69 pointsThe USC Trojans have seen some ups and downs under the tutelage of Lea Maurer. The women had a few strong years for the final two seasons in the Pac-12, finishing as the runner-ups in both 2023 and 2024. They have finished 5th their last two years in the Big Ten, but dropped a few points from 2025 to 2026.
They have also dropped in the NCAA placements over the last few seasons, though some of that can be attributed to Kaitlyn Dobler graduating. Minna Abraham has thrived while training with the program, though she dealt with injury this season and missed the Big Ten Championships. She was back for NCAAs, where she finished 4th in the 200 free, 17th in the 100 back, and 23rd in the 100 free.
On the men’s side, they have also been a little up and down, and had their highest finish under Maurer this year, finishing 14th overall. The top two scorers, Moritz Wesemann and Laurent Gosselin-Paradis, were both divers. Michal Chmielewski was their only individual swimming scorer with 12 points.
Chase Kreitler, Pitt
Women Men NCAA Standing Conference Standing Year Conference Standing NCAA Standing N/A 11th, 328 points 2022 (pre-Kreitler) 9th, 431 points N/A N/A 11th, 315 points 2023 7th, 660.5 points 33rd, 4 points N/A 10th, 407 points 2024 7th, 647.5 points 24th, 24 points 27th, 21 points 8th, 462 points 2025 10th, 456.5 points 34th, 13 points 16th, 55 points 6th, 552 points 2026 11th, 401 points 20th, 48 pointsThis review is bittersweet for the Pitt team, who will return to coaching reviews next season after Chase Kreitler left the program earlier this month following historic success with the Panthers.
One of the most clear examples of a coach improving the program came from Pitt, where the women had their first NCAA relay in 19 years, and Sophie Yendell was the highest women’s NCAA finisher in program history after she took 5th in the 50 free. Along with Claire Jansen, they became the first two Pitt women to score at the meet since 1984.
In 2026, the women continued to excel, finishing 16th at NCAAs, their highest finish in the history of the program. Jansen finished 4th in 200 back, taking over Yendell’s title as the highest finisher in Pitt history.
The men also saw NCAA improvements, though they dropped at the ACC Championships (some of that drop came from the addition of programs to the conference and the return of Notre Dame). At NCAAs, they finished 20th overall, their best finish in 73 years, partially thanks to the development of sophomore Julian Koch.
Pitt recently hired head diving coach Katie Kasprzak to lead the program as the Director of Swimming and Diving. They will be hiring a new swimming coach to take over that aspect of the program.
Jonas Persson, Utah
Women Men NCAA Standing Conference Standing Year Conference Standing NCAA Standing N/A 7th, 608 points 2022 (pre-Persson) 6th, 264 points 37th, 2 points 39th, 2 points 7th, 594 points 2023 6th, 300.5 points 27th, 14 points 25th, 22 points 6th, 628.5 points 2024 6th, 211.5 points 36th, 6 points N/A 5th, 809.5 points 2025 3rd, 1153.5 points 30th, 15 points N/A 7th, 693 points 2026 3rd, 1305 points 34th, 17 pointsThe University of Utah hired Jonas Persson at the start of the 2022-2023 swim season, and the men’s team has seen significant improvements under his leadership, while the women have stayed relatively steady in their performance, though dipping this year.
The Utah men had a very strong performance at the Big 12 Championships, scoring 1305 points after huge swimming performances from Nick Chirafisi, who won the 500 freestyle, and Evan VanBrocklin, who won the 200 IM.
Both men went on to the NCAA Championships, but the only team scorer was diver Elias Petersen, who scored on all three boards.
Persson recently signed a contract extension through 2031, and will be with the Utes for a while to come.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Final Check In: 4th Year Power Four Head Coaches Review 2025-2026
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