Olympic Gold Medalist Lea Maurer Hired as USC Swimming Associate Head Coach

Photo Courtesy: USC Athletics

Olympic gold medalist and former Stanford women’s head coach Lea Maurer, who guided the Cardinal for seven years, has been named USC men’s and women’s swimming associate head coach, first-year Trojan head coach Jeremy Kipp announced today.

Maurer and is the newest addition to Kipp’s staff, which also includes seventh-year assistant coach Chase Bloch, first-year assistant coach Meghan Hawthorne (who joined Kipp at USC after stints with him at Northwestern and Boise State) as well as 22nd-year head diving coach Hongping Li.

“Lea Maurer is one of the best coaches in the country,” Kipp said. “She has had success at every level of our sport and is hands down one of the most competitive people I know. She was a force as a swimmer at the collegiate and international level and has remained a force in the coaching world. Her energy and drive are unparalleled and I cannot wait to work alongside Lea as we drive USC Swimming and Diving into a new era.”

• More Pac-12 news here

Maurer, a 1992 Olympic gold and bronze medalist and a 1998 World Championships gold medalist, was the Stanford women’s head coach from 2006 through 2012, guiding the Cardinal to seven straight NCAA top 5 finishes as well as back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2010-11. She has also served as a Stanford men’s water polo volunteer assistant coach since 2013.

Her Cardinal swim teams, which peaked with an NCAA runner-up finish in 2010, secured 13 NCAA individual and relay titles, 37 conference championships and 163 All-American honors while going 66-5 in dual meets.

Maurer has coached numerous swimmers who competed at the Olympics, World Championships, Pan Pacific Games and World University Games. Under her tutelage, Stanford swimmers Elaine Breeden and Julia Smit combined to earn three relay medals at the 2008 Olympics while the Cardinal’s Tara Kirk broke American records in the 100 and 200-yard breast in 2006. Breeden was also an American record holder (200 fly) while Smit set world and American records in the 200 and 400 I.M.

Maurer began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Northwestern in 1994-95 before embarking on a highly successful 10-year run as the head boys’ and girls’ coach at Lake Forest (Ill.) High. Her tenure there included a 2002-03 boys mythical national title and a 2003 girls mythical public school national title, a combined three state titles and eight Illinois Swimming Association Coach of the Year honors. Among her star swimmers was eventual Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers.

Maurer swam on three Stanford national title teams (1992-93-94) and won NCAA titles in the 100y back each year while claiming the 200y back in 1993. She also raced on six Cardinal NCAA relay titles. She won 15 Pac-10 titles (seven individual, eight relays) and earned 21 All-American honors (19 at Stanford). Maurer, who competed one season for Florida as a freshman, was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in November of 2006.

She graduated from Stanford with a bachelors degree in American Studies (1993) and a master’s in education (1994).

“It is with great excitement and gratitude that I accept the position of Associate Head Coach of the Swimming and Diving teams at USC,” Lea Maurer said. “I have been following Jeremy’s success and I believe in his ability to lead this incredibly storied program. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of the USC family. I feel blessed because every day I will wake up and get to work with some of the best and brightest student-athletes in the world.”

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

6 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Bonnie Franklin

3 years ago

Congratulations, Lea!

Melissa Sethna

3 years ago

Congratulations Lea!!!!

Oline Stehr

3 years ago

Yay!!! to more women coaches!!!

Thomas A. Small

3 years ago

Congratulations

Jeanne Ward Peil

3 years ago

Congratulations Lea!

Catherine McCarthy

3 years ago

Congratulations Lea! Fight on ✌️✌️✌️