Rider alumnus named head coach of 2020 U.S. Olympic women's swimming team

Former swimmer and Rider University Athletics Hall of Famer Greg Meehan ’01 was named head coach of the 2020 U.S. Olympic women's swimming team as announced by USA Swimming National Team Managing Director Lindsay Mintenko on Monday, Dec. 3.

“Greg has an incredible passion for the sport and extensive experience coaching some of the country's best athletes to the highest level in our sport,” Rider Head Coach Steve Fletcher says. “He's also a compassionate and respected leader. Greg is a loyal Rider alumnus and he always shares his passion for the Swimming & Diving program with the coaches. It's exciting to share our experience at Rider in common, and we're grateful to have a special connection to one of the great coaches in our sport.”

Meehan is currently the Paul A. Violich Director of Women's Swimming at Stanford University. He was inducted into the Rider Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. He graduated with a bachelor’s in mathematics and secondary education.

While at Rider, Meehan swam the second-fastest 200 backstroke, the third-fastest 100 backstroke and the fifth-fastest 1,000 freestyle at that time. A four-time All-Academic team member, Meehan swam on the MAAC champion relay team.

Meehan, a three-time NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year who led Stanford to national championships in 2017 and 2018, served as an assistant at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, where he coached three Cardinals who combined to win nine medals (four gold) — and future Stanford star Katie Ledecky, who won four gold medals and one silver and set two world records.

“We're joining a list of coaching legends and it's not lost on either one us,” Meehan says. “This is the greatest honor of my professional career. I'm looking forward to working with Dave Durden and Team USA and all the coaches and athletes around the country as we prepare for Omaha and the first step toward success in 2020.”

In his six seasons with Stanford, Meehan has mentored four Pac-12 Swimmers of the Year and four Pac-12 Newcomers of the Year and has won four Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards. He has coached 29 different Cardinal swimmers to a combined 232 All-America honors, which includes 16 national championship relays and 23 individual national championships.

Stanford also won three Pac-12 Championships (2013, 2017, 2018) under Meehan and finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA Championships in 2014 and 2016, and placed third in 2015.

At the international level, Meehan has also served as the head coach for Team USA at the 2017 World Championships, was an assistant at the 2015 World Championships and 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, and was a manager for the United States at the 2007 World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

Meehan has also coached at the University of California Berkley, University of the Pacific, Princeton, and William & Mary.

Meehan and his wife, Tess, reside in Palo Alto, Calif., with their two sons, Salvatore and James.

The Olympic pool competition will be held July 25-Aug. 2, 2020. Swimmers will compete for spots on the Team USA roster at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, set for June 21-28, 2019, in Omaha, Neb.

The coaching nominations are pending the approval of the U.S. Olympic Committee.