Pitt Swimming and Diving has delivered a remarkable year. The women’s program enjoyed a historic outing, finishing joint 16th — their highest finish in school history. Meanwhile, the men’s program sat 20th, marking their best ranking in 73 years.

Amid the jubilation, Kreitler’s resignation was nothing short of a crushing blow to the program and its athletes. In the aftermath, Allen Greene said,

“When I met with our student-athletes this morning, I shared our continued desire to field a nationally competitive program,” he stated in his announcement to the school as posted by Chris Peak on X. “While supporting their holistic development as students and athletes.”

With NCAA All-American Claire Jansen and other athletes in attendance, Greene also spoke on their search for a new coach.

“Sustaining this philosophy requires not only achieving these goals but being strategic in how we do so. That will be our focus as we search for our next head coach.”

Both Kreitler’s departure and its nature have raised eyebrows. In his resignation letter sent to SwimSwam, he mentioned a “different strategic direction” as a reason for his exit.

“I was recently informed that the department intends to move in a different strategic direction after the 2026–2027 season,” he stated.

Notably, Kreitler was in the final year of his contract and hoped to build on this momentum through “a multi-year extension.” With the department making a hard pivot, Kreitler’s immediate resignation has cast a cloud on the program’s future.

A sentiment echoed by student-athletes who attended Greene’s meeting.

“Left With No Real Answers” Pitt Students Upset and Unconvinced

Greene’s comments have offered little assurance to the student-athletes. Both alums and current athletes have celebrated Kreitler’s contributions and questioned the department’s decision.

As reported by SwimSwam, the athletes stated, “We sat in a meeting with Allen Greene and left with no real answers.” 

They also expressed concerns about getting “no specifics” during the meeting and denied any blame being shifted to Kreitler. Joined in 2022, his stint has brought tremendous success to the University of Pittsburgh.

Under his coaching, Pitt Swimming alum Sophie Yendell won the 2025 NCAA Championships and became the team’s first All-American in 39 years. This was followed by Jansen finishing 4th in 200m and 7th in 100m the next season, leading the women to their highest finish in the NCAA.

Regardless, such a monumental shift could define the program’s future.

Read more at Daily Swimmers Club!

Trending slideshow: Swimming World Records Which Will Be Impossible to Break

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

She has completely dominated the 100m Fly event. She owns the top 13 best timings in the event. The previous record was also set by her in May 2025 when she completed in 54.60.

Walsh was surprised that she had broken the world record, revealing that she had not prepared for the meet as much as she would have liked.

“I just think it was the vibes in the arena, maybe I don’t know. I really didn’t prepare for this meet the way that normally a world record swim would be prepared for,” Walsh said in an interview with Swim Swam.

She also appreciated the crowd at the Fort Lauderdale Open as she revealed using their energy to fuel her final 50m in the race.

“I’m over the moon happy with the way I executed it and just kind of used the crowd. I heard them after I broke out for my second 50, and I was like, now’s my time to just turn on the jets and bring it home, and I definitely did that, and it was a time that I was wanting to go all summer, and I think that just doing it now, there’s no time like the present for something like that,” she added.

Gretchen Walsh has broken the 100m butterfly record thrice in 12 months

Hailed as the ‘Queen of Butterfly,’ Gretchen Walsh broke the world record twice in the 100m fly last year at the Fort Lauderdale Open. This year, she has returned to the same venue and lowered her own record in the same event.

Walsh first broke the world record at the 2024 Olympic trials, clocking 55.18, breaking the previous record of Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom’s timing of 55.48. Later, she broke the record twice at the Fort Lauderdale Open last year. Firstly in the prelims (55.09) and then in the finals (54.60).

After she broke the record on Saturday for the fourth time, she is more than a second clear of the second-fastest performer in history (still Sjostrom’s 55.48). This is the largest gap in any women’s or men’s 100-meter event.

Walsh is a 2024 Olympic silver medallist and 2025 World Champion in the 100m fly.

Read more at Daily Swimmers Club!

Trending slideshow: How Gretchen Walsh Took Over: Top 10 Women’s Butterfly Performances (LCM)

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

During the 2026 season, he was instrumental in helping the Pittsburgh women’s team achieve its highest finish in program history, tying for 16th place with 55 points at the NCAA Championships. Under Kreitler’s leadership, the Panthers men’s team also recorded its best finish in 73 years, placing 20th with 48 points.

Pat Forde, the senior writer at Sports Illustrated, alluded to the reason behind Kreitler’s sudden departure from Pitt despite their historic season.

In his post on X, he quoted Kreitler himself, who said the following about his resignation: “I was recently informed that the department intends to move in a different strategic direction after the 2026–2027 season.”

After referencing the strategic shift in his detailed statement on the matter, Kreitler also revealed why he didn’t take up the offer to continue coaching them and opted to leave instead.

He said, “While I was offered the opportunity to coach one more year, I do not believe I could operate in integrity continuing to recruit transfers and incoming student-athletes knowing I would not be part of their journey beyond next season. Therefore, I have decided to resign from my position as the Head Swimming & Diving Coach at Pitt, effective immediately.”

Before joining Pitt in 2022, Kreitler was part of the Cal swimming and diving program as an assistant coach.

Chase Kreitler calls his resignation from Pitt “an incredibly difficult decision”

Chase Kreitler became a driving force in taking the Pitt swimming and diving program to new heights during his tenure as head coach.

That’s why the resignation was not easy for him. He detailed his thought process regarding it by saying, “This has been an incredibly difficult decision for my family and me. We love this team, our staff, the University, and the city of Pittsburgh. I am deeply grateful to our student-athletes—your trust, effort, and belief in what we were building are the reasons we climbed so far, so fast.” 

“Thank you also to our coaching and support staff, our parent group, and our alumni, whose unwavering support has been the backbone of this program.”

“Pitt Swimming & Diving holds a special place in my heart. I will always be proud of what we built together. H2P!” Kreitler concluded.

Moreover, in addition to being heavily involved in collegiate coaching, he has also gained international experience with the United States. Kreitler served as an assistant coach for USA Swimming at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships and the 2019 World University Games. He also worked alongside seven Olympians at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Read more at Swimmer’s Club!

Trending slideshow: 10 Greatest Olympic Swimmers of All-Time: No. 1 is a No-brainer

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

The meet featured 2,015 athletes from seven countries, including 300 from North Carolina. Thompson made her debut on Friday, racing the 50 fly and the 100 free in the women’s 50-54 age group.

She swam 25.71 in the 50 fly and 53.37 in the 100 freestyle. Thompson narrowly missed her own 100 freestyle record of 52.00, set in 2023. Additionally, she finished just one hundredth of a second shy of the 50 fly record of 25.70 set by Leslie Livingston in 2013.

Overall, it was a big occasion for other athletes to compete alongside Thompson, who was previously the joint-most decorated American female swimmer at the Olympics. She held the record with Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin. Eventually, Katie Ledecky surpassed them at the Paris Olympics.

Thompson, who is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, stepped into the meet to compete alongside multiple other Olympians.

It was a star-studded event, with Olympians like Casey Barrett, a 1996 Canadian Olympian; Oliver Elliot, a 2008 Chilean Olympian; Anton Ipsen, a 2016 and 2020 Danish Olympian; Vesna Shelnutt, a 2000 and 2004 North Macedonian Olympian; David Wharton, a 1988 and 1992 American Olympian; and Ashley Whitney, a 1996 American Olympian.

Jenny Thompson works as an Olympic ambassador with Swim Across America

American relay specialist Jenny Thompson last appeared at the Olympics in 2004 in Athens, Greece. However, decades later, she is still connected to swimming. She swims competitively with the Palmetto Masters Swim Team and volunteers as an Olympian ambassador with Swim Across America.

Swim Across America (SAA) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for cancer awareness, research, prevention, and treatment through swimming events.

Last year, Thompson opened up about her experience working with SAA. “In 2004, my mom was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, so the events took on a whole new meaning for me, being able to feel like I’m contributing to the research that could help cure cancer someday. I hate swimming in open water, but I do it for her and others,” she told Charleston Magazine in an interview from June 2025.

Thompson moved to the Lowcountry in 2018, and even after years of competing in the Olympics, she wanted to continue swimming competitively. She was one of the fastest female swimmers in her age group back in April 2023, when she competed in the U.S. Masters Swimming Championships in California.

“When we moved here I was nearing 50. A big part of aging gracefully is exercise, and I knew I could push myself in swimming. I joined the local US Masters team for the motivation of swimming with others and having a coach,” she continued about her experience swimming in local groups.

“I also wanted to compete again, so I signed up for the national championship. It was crazy to be ‘momming,’ working at the VA, baking Christmas cookies, and breaking a world record all in the same weekend.”

Read more at Swimmer’s Club.

Trending slideshow: Top 10 USA Swimming Legends Of All Time

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

Katie Ledecky secured gold medals in the 800m and 1500m free while finishing in second place in the 400m free behind Summer McIntosh.

Just a day after the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open came to a close, Ledecky shared a few pictures along with a message of gratitude in an Instagram post on Sunday, May 3. The American was appreciative about spending her time in Florida and wrote:

“Fort Lauderdale, thanks for more fun times and sunny race days. And thanks to everyone at Swim Fort Lauderdale for hosting another great meet! Back to work.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky)

During the opening day in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, April 29, Ledecky began the competition in style by taking the top step of the podium in the 1500m free final. She finished the race in 15:25.62, the fifth fastest time in history after finding herself under the world record pace during the first 500m.

15-year-old Sydney Hardy won the silver with her personal best (16:42.76), while Izzy Riva earned the bronze after swimming the course in 17:15.26.

The next day, Ledecky and McIntosh had an epic race in the 400m free final, with both swimming sub-4:00 during the first 200m. But the Canadian managed to gain nearly half a second over Ledecky in this phase and maintained it until the end, despite her advantage shrinking slightly. Ultimately, McIntosh won the race in 3:58.91, just 0.11 ahead of Ledecky, while Emma Weyant settled for third place in 4:07.03.

In the 200m free final, Ledecky finished outside the podium in fourth place on day three of the swimming meet. McIntosh dominated the race and won the gold medal in 1:54.36.

Katie Ledecky easily conquered the 800m at Fort Lauderdale

Katie Ledecky had a solid end to the fourth and final day of action at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open. She won the gold medal in the 800m free final in 8:12.68 in a convincing manner, finishing a whopping 28 seconds ahead of Katie Grimes in second place.

Ledecky swam not that far off her season best time of 8:08.57, which was set during the Pro Swim Series meet in Westmont two months ago. The third place went to Michaela Mattes in 8:40.84, after a late charge which nearly allowed her to swim past Grimes.

With a solid weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the books, Ledecky will be looking forward to continuing her good work in long distances in the freestyle events. But at the same time, she would want to get the better of Summer McIntosh in the 400m and 200m free in the near future.

Follow Swimmer’s Club for more updates!

Trending slideshow: Katie Ledecky’s Top 10 All-Time 1500m Freestyle Performances Ranked

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

She went 0.27 clear of her previous best in the 100m fly, set at the same venue (Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Centre) nearly a year ago. Since 2024, Walsh has broken the world record and breached the 55-second barrier four times each in this event.

During the US Olympic trials for Paris 2024 in June in Indianapolis, she broke the world record for the first time in the 100m fly, finishing the race in 55.18 seconds to go 0.30 clear of the previous best. Walsh managed to win the Olympic silver medal in Paris at this event with a time of 55.63 seconds, just 0.04 behind her American counterpart and new gold medalist Torri Huske.

The 23-year-old currently holds the 13 fastest times in the 100m fly, and all of them have occurred since June 2024. Also, with her new personal best time in this event, she is now over a second clear of the second fastest swimmer, Swedish Sarah Sjostrom (55.48 seconds).

Following an epic night in the pool, Walsh took to her official Instagram account to bask in the glory of her new world record in the 100m fly. She posted a few pictures from her appearance at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open and wrote in the caption,

“Must be magic or something out here in FLL”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gretchen Walsh (@gretchwalsh2)

“Could not be more grateful for the WR, the crowd, and the pool. Thank you Fort Lauderdale — let’s make this an annual thing, shall we??!!!” Walsh added.

However, that’s not the end; she also received a lot of support from other swimmers.

Katie Ledecky and other Olympic swimmers hail Gretchen Walsh for her 100m butterfly world record

After Gretchen Walsh added her name to the history books once again by setting the fastest ever time in the women’s 100m butterfly event, she received appreciation from all comers on social media.

In the comments section of her Instagram post, many of the top Olympic swimmers hailed her, but none bigger than Katie Ledecky, who sent out a couple of emojis for her, “”

Summer McIntosh posted, “ur unreal ” for Walsh, while Lilly King said, “Gretchie so fast”

Regan Smith, the fellow butterfly swimmer, couldn’t get enough of Walsh and commented, “I literally loveeeeeee uuuu.” The older sister, Alex Walsh, was proud to see the incredible performance from Gretchen and called her a “queen.”

The Nashville, Tennessee native talked about magic in Fort Lauderdale on the night in her post on Instagram, to which Kate Douglass seemingly responded by saying, “Must be,” while Katharine Berkoff exclaimed, “And I’m like BRUH.”

Towards the end of it, Walsh asked a rhetorical question about breaking the world record, an annual thing in Fort Lauderdale. Some of her peers seemingly answered to her in kind, with Katie Grimes saying, “We shall.”

Moreover, during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in July in Singapore, Walsh won the world title in the 100m fly after the Olympic silver medal a year prior. She achieved this with a time of 54.73 seconds, which also set a championship record.

Read more at Daily Swimmers Club!

Trending slideshow: How Gretchen Walsh Took Over: Top 10 Women’s Butterfly Performances (LCM)

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

Behind the success of every sportsperson, there is unrelenting hard work and perseverance in training. And it isn’t any different for her. In 2024, ahead of the Paris Olympics, where she won two golds, Ledecky gave an exclusive interview to EatingWell.

The all-accomplishing competitive swimmer not only talked about her weekly training regimen but also her daily diet. She said, “[For breakfast] I eat almost exactly the same thing every day just because it’s what works for me in between practices and before practices. I’ll have oatmeal with some peanut butter and a banana.”

Oatmeal is a popular choice among athletes because of its high-fiber content. Peanut butter is a good option to fulfil the American swimmer’s protein and fat needs, and bananas offer potassium that helps avoid cramps.

Katie Ledecky also revealed that her lunch ahead of her afternoon practice is basically eggs with whole-grain toast, with spinach or tomatoes mixed in at times. Eggs are important for her overall health since they have a mixture of protein and choline.

As for dinner, Ledecky opts for meat for protein, usually “chicken or steak or salmon,” and to go with it, a salad, rice, or other vegetables. This is a common combination for athletes and bodybuilders as well.

Katie Ledecky’s favorite snack and protein shake

Katie Ledecky likes to keep her gut health in check by eating berries. “I love berries. Just getting some extra fruit or vegetables in, that’s usually my snack,” she said.

The Olympic swimmer also shared that she used to drink a chocolate protein shake from Core Power, the brand that sponsored her, after practice and races.

“I drink it every day after my workouts and when I’m at competitions after my races,” said Ledecky. “While I’m warming down, I’ll grab a Core Power and drink it. I think it’s just really great for my recovery to get that protein, the electrolytes, and nutrients that I need, especially with how hard I’m training right now, gearing up for Olympic trials and in Paris.”

Katie Ledecky’s training regime back then involved 25 to 30 hours of training a week, around 20 of which were spent in the pool, and the rest in the gym. This made it important for her to keep her diet in check, and it remains one of the pillars behind her success.

Nearly two years after this interview, the 29-year-old is still on top of her game on the hunt for more swimming triumphs.

Read more about your favorite swimmers at Swimmer’s Club!

Trending slideshow: Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke Lead Fort Lauderdale Open Day 1 Finals Results

Rishika Agarwal

Marchand prevailed in the 400m IM with the fourth-fastest timing in the world in 2026. He clocked 4:09.33 over the eight lengths. It was much faster than American swimmer Carson Foster, who was timed in 4:10.24. Even though Foster narrowed the gap between him and Marchand in the final stretch, the Frenchman became the winner.

The 23-year-old’s victory in the 400m IM comes after winning four individual gold medals in the Paris Olympics.

He won the Olympic gold in the 400 IM two years ago in Paris. Marchand later added Olympic gold in the 200 butterfly at Paris, where he outdueled Hungary’s Kristof Milak, the reigning world-record holder and 2020 Olympic champion.

His world-record time of 4:02.50 still stands untouched, though Foster (4:06.56) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita (4:06.93) remain the nearest active threats. Matsushita captured silver in the 400 IM at the Paris Olympics, while Foster secured bronze.

On Friday, Marchand began with a butterfly split of 55.22 and continued increasing the gap with Foster in the backstroke split. He reached the halfway turn in 1:58.73, with Foster completing in 2:00.11. Foster closed the gap in the closing freestyle split as he finished in 58.62 in comparison to Marchand’s 1:00.29.

The swim Marchand delivered at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center places him among elite company. Only 11 men have ever clocked a faster time, as reported by John Lohn, of Swimming World.

Léon Marchand Set to Return to France for European Championships

The Fort Lauderdale Open is more of a preparation event for Marchand. He is set to participate in the European Championships later this summer, which will be held near Paris in Saint-Denis.

In an interview in April with Radio France, Marchand opened up on his ambitions of returning to his homeland ahead of the continental competition.

“The idea is to beat my best times,” Marchand shared about his goals. “The program isn’t finalized yet, but I know I’ll be doing the 400 IM on the first day. If I qualify, it would be a race where I’d like to break my record.”

Marchand lives in the USA, as he is committed to the Arizona State University. Although he lives miles away from France, he continues to be a fan-favorite for the local crowd.

As he prepares for the European Championships in Paris beginning July 31, Marchand has used the early part of the season to challenge himself in events outside his usual specialties.

Share your thoughts on Marchand’s success at Fort Lauderdale.

Read more at the Swimmer’s Club.

Trending slideshow: 10 Greatest Olympic Swimmers of All-Time: No. 1 is a No-brainer

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White aired on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, July 23, 2017, during their Shark Week event. The 44-minute episode caught the hype. But it didn’t quite live up to the billing when the fans saw Phelps actually take on a computer-generated shark. 

Even after clocking 38.1 seconds with the help of a wetsuit and fin, he still trailed the computer-simulated shark by two seconds, which completed the race in 36.1 seconds.

While Phelps embodies elite human athleticism, his top swimming speed without a monofin was just 5–6 mph. It was far below the at least 25 mph a great white shark can achieve in quick bursts.

Before the broadcast, the Discovery Channel promoted the race by sharing videos of Phelps and a shark swimming separately on the course. But when it came down to the broadcast, they had the footage of a computer-generated shark overlap with Phelps. 

Although the original event featured a computer-generated shark, before the show, Phelps joined the Shark Week team for cage dives with sharks. During the process, he learned about the species from experts.

“I had a white’s nose come a little close to mine when I was in the cage, her mouth kind of just clamped right down on one of the bars,” Phelps said about his experience. “But I basically just sat down there for about an hour and just watched sharks swim right past me.”

With this, Phelps’ dream came true.

Michael Phelps Shared About His Dream on The Tonight Show

The race did not happen in a pool, where Phelps normally competes, so he had no real advantage. Even though the cold ocean water was tough to adjust to, he continued to push himself.

Just three days before Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White aired, he made an appearance on The Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon, to promote it. On the show, he opened up about his dream to swim with the great white shark.

“I’ve had an infatuation with sharks my whole life, and I basically turn into a nerd when I talk about sharks,” Phelps said. “I know a ton about them. And for me, I’ve always wanted to dive with a white [shark], and I’ve always wanted to be in the cage.”

Even after retiring from competition, Michael Phelps remains an inspiration to swimmers everywhere for the way he challenged himself.

Share your thoughts on Phelps’ race with the shark.

Read more at the Swimmer’s Club.

Trending slideshow: Iconic Moments In Swimming World Championships History

Kalzang Uzor Gurung

Three-time Olympic gold medallist McIntosh touched the wall first with a time of 3:58.91, beating nine-time Olympic gold medallist Ledecky, who finished second and clocked 3:59.02. Emma Weyant, a two-time Olympic champion, was the last podium finisher after finishing in 4:07.03.

Interestingly, the timings registered by McIntosh and Ledecky were the fastest in the world this year. This was McIntosh’s first event of the weekend, while Ledecky was entering the race after winning the 1500m freestyle on Wednesday and also registering the fifth-fastest time in history.

Overall, McIntosh and Ledecky were inseparable during the race. The maximum difference in timing between the two swimmers was .43, which the Canadian had during the halfway stage.

There was hardly any difference between the swimmers during the down stretch as McIntosh had a 0.08 lead at 250m, .12 difference at 300m, a 0.08 at 350m, and .11 at the finish.

Other than being the world record holder in the 400m freestyle, Summer McIntosh is also the reigning World Champion in this event. Similarly, Katie Ledecky is a former world record holder and has also secured four gold medals in the 2016 Olympics, one of which was in the 400m freestyle.

Katie Ledecky was high on confidence after 1500m freestyle victory

Although Ledecky missed out on the 400m showdown, she was happy to script history in her star 1500m freestyle event at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open earlier this week. The American won by 77 seconds to extend her 15-year win streak.

Following her fantastic win in the event, Ledecky’s confidence in her abilities was reaffirmed. “Yeah, I am happy about it,” the distance legend told SwimSwam. “I feel like I’m getting reps in the mid-20s consistently right now, so that’s great.”

“I think I have swum something like three or four of my top five or six times in the last year, so I’m really happy. Just wanted to lock in with consistent splits, and I felt good the whole way. I know that training’s been going well. I just have a lot of confidence in the shape that I am in, so I just wanted to get out there and see if I could push the pace and stay consistent the whole race,” Ledecky added.

On Saturday night, Katie Ledecky capped off her weekend at Fort Lauderdale by dominating the 800m freestyle. Her time of 8:12.66 earned her a 28-second victory over runner-up Katie Grimes (8:40.80).

Read more about your favorite swimmers at Swimmer’s Club!

Trending slideshow: Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke Lead Fort Lauderdale Open Day 1 Finals Results

Rishika Agarwal