On Sunday, May 3, Chase Kreitler made the major decision to step down from his role as head coach of the Pitt swimming and diving program, effective immediately.

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!

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Sahil Prashar