STANFORD, Calif. - Chris Lindauer has been named Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Swimming, as announced by interim athletics director and chief operating officer Alden Mitchell on Thursday afternoon.
Lindauer becomes the eighth head coach in program history, taking the helm of the NCAA’s most decorated women’s swimming & diving program, which boasts 12 national titles and 25 conference championships.
Stanford remains the only women’s swimming and diving program to never finish outside the top-10 at a national championship meet.
“It is an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to lead the most successful women’s swimming & diving program in NCAA history,” Lindauer said. “The standard for academic and athletic excellence at Stanford is second to none, and provides a platform for greatness well beyond the student-athlete experience. I’d like to thank Alden Mitchell, Angie Jabir and Richard Zhu for believing in me and giving my family and I this amazing opportunity. It is my absolute mission to continue the excellent tradition of bringing NCAA Championships to The Farm, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Lindauer has a proven track record of elevating programs to new heights, coaching 10 individual national champions, 46 women’s NCAA All-Americans and 49 men’s NCAA All-Americans during his 15-year coaching career.
He also brings an Olympic-level coaching pedigree, mentoring a pair of gold medalists and 13 Olympic qualifiers, in addition to serving on the USA National Team coaching staff from 2018-20.
"We are excited to welcome Chris Lindauer to serve as the next leader of the Stanford women’s swimming and diving program," said Mitchell, "With his Olympic, national team, NCAA and ACC success, Chris will build upon the program’s rich tradition of competitive excellence in the pool and beyond. Chris’s humility, dedication to building lasting relationships, and focus on ensuring a high-academic experience will make a lasting impact on our student-athletes. We look forward to welcoming Chris, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady to The Farm."
Lindauer comes to Stanford after a three-year stint leading the Notre Dame swimming and diving programs. During his time in South Bend, he led the men’s program to back-to-back historic NCAA finishes, including a program-best 10th place in 2024.
His work with the men’s program included coaching 2024 ACC Swimmer of the Year Chris Giuliano and 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year Tommy Janton, a tandem that combined for five ACC titles and 14 All-America honors.
On the women’s side, Lindauer coached First Team All-ACC honorees Madelyn Christman (200 back) and Maggie Graves (1650 free) in 2024.
Lindauer’s success with the Fighting Irish earned him his first Olympic coaching role, serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games. In Paris, Lindauer worked directly with Guiliano as he turned in a World record-breaking performance en route to Olympic Gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, along with a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Prior to Notre Dame, Lindauer spent 13 seasons at Louisville, most recently serving as associate head coach. During his tenure, Lindauer coached numerous Olympians and 12 NCAA champions, with his student-athletes earning more than 100 All-America honors.
His time in Louisville was highlighted by the Cardinals’ first ACC men’s title in 2021, as well as a historic 2019 season in which Louisville became the first ACC school to have both the men’s and women’s teams earn top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships in the same season, a program-best finish for both teams.
With the Cardinals, Lindauer coached Kelsi Worrell (2012-16), a two-time NCAA champion and 2016 Olympic Gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay. Lindauer was also key in the development of two-time NCAA champion Nick Albiero (2017-22), and Mallory Comerford (2015-19), a four-time national champion and the first woman in ACC history to earn Swimmer of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons.
A native of Westminster, Colorado, Lindauer also swam collegiately at Louisville, where he was a four-time Big East champion and seven-time All-Big East selection. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in Biology.
Lindauer arrives on The Farm with his wife, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady.
The hiring is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.